Sessions With Sonic
by Elfian Aqua
Summary: He's Sonic The Hedgehog. But when he's at his desk, everyone knows him as Doctor Sonic. Certified in psychology by a sketchy online college, Doctor Sonic is taking a step back from saving the world to save Amy, Tails, and even Eggman from themselves.
1. 01 Amy

Disclaimer – I don't own the Sonic characters.

-

**01: Amy**

The room is square and small. There is a mahogany desk and its matching chair. There is a burgundy leather sofa. There is a clear plastic container filled with toys; its discarded red top lies next to it on the green carpeting. A single toy has been removed from the box and is held in the hands of an adolescent hedgehog who sits on the couch. Her hold on the toy is tight, and her eyes are livid. "Talk to me Sonic! Talk to me!" She wildly shakes the plushie, screaming at the top of her lungs. When her voice dies, she waits silently for a response. No reply is made.

After several minutes her grip loosens, and the toy falls into her lap, rolls off, and lands softly onto the floor.

"Amy?" Behind the desk, Sonic stares at her from above a pair of small circular-frame glasses. He holds a ballpoint pen in hand, poised above the clipboard's chart on his desk.

"Yes?" Her eyes are locked on her knees. Her shoulders are slumped. She is trembling.

"Why did you drop Sonic?"

She tenses. "I didn't drop him."

Sonic reverses the pen so that its rear faces the chart. He taps it against the chart. Tap. Tap. Tap. "Then why is he on the floor?"

"He ran away."

Sonic nods, reverses the pen, and scribbles words onto the chart. He flips the chart page. The new page is made up of horizontal lines. "Why do you think he ran?"

Amy's hands clench, and she slides them into her lap. "Because he didn't want to talk to me."

Sonic nods. "And why don't you think he wants to talk to you?"

Amy clenches her teeth. She shuts her eyes.

"Amy?"

"Because he hates me," she shouts. "He hates me!" Her hands lift to her face, covering her eyes. Tears spill down her cheeks and loud sobs escape her snout.

Sonic nods and scribbles something onto the paper, keeping his smart cursive within the horizontal lines. "It's okay," he murmurs, still writing. "That's good. Let it out." Amy's sobs softens, then stop. Sonic gets up from his chair and hands her a box of tissues. He returns to his desk and picks up his pen. Tap. Tap. Tap. "Feeling better?"

Amy nods.

Sonic nods. "Do you think you can tell me why you believe Sonic hates you?"

Amy blows her nose. "Because he knows I don't love him."

"You don't?"

She shakes her head, and her quills gently swish against the sides of her face. Taking a fresh tissue, she dabs at fresh tears.

"Hmm, I see. Well, why do you think he hates you for not loving him?"

"Because," she whispers, "he loves me."

Sonic nods and scribbles more onto the lines. His strokes are quick. His strokes are careless. His strokes are perfect. "I see," he says.

He sets his pen down and picks up the clipboard. He flips through the pages, glancing over them as he goes. Finally, he sets the clipboard down and looks at Amy. "Tell me, Amy. Have you ever thought that maybe Sonic doesn't hate you? Have you ever thought that maybe he just wants you to stop chasing him and declaring your love for him?"

Amy takes several minutes to ponder these thoughts, then glances at her watch. "Looks like our time is up." She stands and smiles. "See you next week, Doctor Sonic."

Sonic glances at his watch. "Actually, I'll be out of here in another hour. So I guess you'll be chasing me then."

Amy shuts the office door behind her.

Tap. Tap. Tap.


	2. 02 Eggman

**02: Eggman**

The room is small. The room is square. A painting hangs behind the doctor's desk. "Doctor, did you just get that?"

Sonic turns to look at the painting. "Oh, that? Yes."

Eggman, sitting straight on the burgundy couch, stares at the picture. "It reminds me of something."

Sonic gives the mad scientist a curious look. "What does it remind you of?"

Eggman smiles devilishly and leans forward. His long fingers form a steeple in front of his face, which a shadow soon falls across. "World domination." His shades catch a ray of light and shimmer dangerously.

Sonic pushes his own glasses further up his snout. "Interesting. Would you mind explaining why?"

"Not at all." Resuming his straight posture, Eggman's hands fall into his lap. "The barren landscape begs to be mastered. The blazing colors scream to be tamed. And the wooden frame, the glossy wooden frame, demands to be conquered."

One of Sonic's arms rest on an armrest, the other on his desk. His fingers lay centimeters away from his pen, but do not grasp it. His eyes stare at the mad scientist, but do not comprehend him. "Intriguing," he says. "Eggman?"

"Yes?"

Sonic takes a moment to mull over how to phrase the question he wants to ask. "When," he begins slowly, "you look at that picture, what do you _see_? And I don't mean see as in what the image makes you feel, but see as in what your eyes discern."

Eggman looks at the picture. His gaze sweeps the painting from top to bottom. "I see…" He stares harder. "I see…" He looks from the painting to Sonic and then back again. "I see Sonic."

Sonic nods. He glances over his shoulder at his portrait and then looks back at Eggman. "And Sonic reminds you of world domination?"

Eggman laughs. "Of course not!"

Sonic nods. He picks up his pen and writes a single word on the latest page of Eggman's growing file. "Peculiar."


	3. 03 Tails

**03: Tails**

The young fox sits on the burgundy couch, admiring how the lush green carpet clashes with everything in the room.

Sonic, boredom and annoyance forming the expression on his face, looks at the fox. His glasses have been discarded. His desk is bare of any patient file. "So what's bothering you today," he drawls.

Tails looks up and smiles. "It's my friend again."

Sonic nods and makes a motion with his hand that says, "Elaborate."

Tails does not. Instead he glances behind Sonic. "Nice painting. New?"

Mollified, but still on guard, Sonic answers, "Yes."

"Thought so. Anyway, back to my friend. What's bothering me is that he's so conceited. He had this self-portrait made and hung it up in his office right behind himself."

Through clenched teeth, Sonic asks, "What's conceited about that?"

Tails leans forward, brow rising and forefinger shaking. "Well, for one, he already has pictures of himself on his desk." He sits back. His lips lift teasingly. "Normally, an animal puts photos of family and friends on his desk, but he has them only of himself. And it's the same thing with his wallet. It's like the guy can't get enough of himself."

Sonic picks up a pencil and taps it loudly against his desktop.

"Also," Tails says, "the only type of pencil he buys is the #1 pencil."

Sonic stops his tapping and releases the pencil; it drops onto the desk and rolls several inches away from him. "So?"

Tails shrugs. "I guess that's nothing, but I think he does it because he thinks _he's_ number one."

Sonic picks up the pencil and snaps it in half.

"Are you okay, _Doctor_," Tails asks through a chortle. Sonic throws the eraser half of the pencil at him. Tails easily catches it. "Temper. Temper. You don't want me to sue, do you?"

Sonic glares. "Why do you come here, Tails? I'm trying to help people. If you don't want my help, then leave."

Tails' smile shrinks. "I'm sorry." He looks at his feet, then at Sonic. "Hey listen, how 'bout we go out for something to eat when you get off work. You know, hang out like we did in the days before Sonic CD."

Forgiveness exudes from Sonic. He nods. "Sure. I'd like that."

Tails' smile returns. He stands. "Good. Then let's meet up at that chilidog place you like." He stops at the door and, looking over his shoulder, says, "I definitely won't be late."


	4. 04 Cream

**04: Cream**

Cream sits with both hands covering her face. She sobs softly, shoulders rocking up and down. "I don't understand why Mommy hates me," she says.

Sonic nods, not really listening. His thoughts are affixed to last night, to the table that he had sat at by himself and eventually left by himself. He looks at Cream. "You're six right?"

Cream takes a tissue from the box next to her on the couch's plush cushion. She dabs her eyes. "Y-yes."

Sonic nods, frowning. "Cream, do you tell your friends that you want to meet up with them somewhere and then not show up?"

Cream shakes her head. "No, Mister Doctor. I would never do that. Not ever."

_No. Never. Not ever. _Sonic narrows his eyes. "The lady doth protesteth too much."

"What?"

Ignoring Cream, Sonic pulls out a file. He scans through it and finds that his memory is right. On several occasions, Tails has asked Cream to join him for lunch and has always shown up to said lunches; yes, when she'd spoken of those lunches, Cream had said _always_.

A strange feeling begins to boil in Sonic's stomach. He knows the feeling, which can be likened to the shaded flower forced to watch the grass soak up the sun's coveted rays. But he refuses to acknowledge the feeling. He refuses to admit that he is jealous. "Cream, do you hang out with Tails very often?"

Cream does not understand what her doctor is trying to accomplish by asking these strange questions. Her head tilts to the side. "I guess. Why?"

Sonic chuckles. "You guess?" He shakes the file. "You spend most of your lunches with him and you _guess_?" He slams the file onto the desk and gives the young rabbit an icy glare. She responds with a look of pure confusion, which makes her seems so innocent. So like Tails. This angers Sonic all the more, and suddenly he is looking at Cream but not seeing her.

When Sonic speaks, he rages like a storm. "You know what you're problem is?" Wide-eyed, Cream shakes her head. "You're problem is that you're a liar!" She squeaks a protest, but Sonic continues in a thundering voice. "And that is precisely why your mother hates you. And frankly, I don't blame her. Nobody likes a liar, Cream. No one. So how 'bout meeting up with your mother to hang out like you say you're going to instead of leaving her to sit and wonder where you are for hours, and not just once but ten times. How 'bout that, Cream? Hmm?"

Cream bursts into tears and, once more, covers her face with her hands. At the sight of the sobbing girl, Sonic's tumultuous emotions dissipate. Mind unclouded with jealousy and frustration, he can't hide from the glaring shame of his cruel words. His gaze falls away from Cream.

When Cream continues crying, Sonic decides to end the session, though there are still ten minutes left. He pulls out an appointment card from his top drawer. "I'll schedule you for three days from now." He fills it out and holds it out to Cream. When she accepts it, Sonic finds that he still can't look up at her.


	5. 05 Lunch Break

**05: Lunch Break**

Sonic sits with one leg over the other, feet propped upon his desk. He stares at the popcorn ceiling and thinks of his last session which leads to thoughts of an issue he is trying to help Knuckles overcome: transference. As many times as he's couched Knuckles on facing the source of his frustration rather than projecting that frustration onto someone else, he goes and does the same thing himself. And to a patient! How unprofessional. Sonic frowns, not liking how his unprofessionalism seems to be stinking up the room. Wait, that isn't his unprofessionalism.

His feet sweep to the floor, and he stands. Quick strides take him to his office door, which he swings open; he immediately wishes he hadn't. "Ug!" Doubling over, he holds back vomit.

"This is tasty, Froggy."

Managing to straighten, Sonic stares at the fleshy mess in a heap on his secretary's desk. "Big," he chokes out. "What is that stuff?"

Big smiles as though he is a Cheshire cat and speaks in his slow, lulling manner. "Fish guts."

Sonic holds his nose, lessening the impact of the repugnant smell. "Big, please take your lunches outside from now on." Sonic's tone that is more instructing than appealing. "In fact, please take your lunch outside _now_."

Sensing he's done wrong, Big's ears flatten against his head. "Sorry." He scoops the mess into his arms and heads for the door. When he is gone, Sonic sanitizes the cat's desk and airs out the room. Done, he glances at the wall clock. Only ten minutes left for lunch; more than enough time to eat. He grabs his club sandwich and canned soda from the small fridge behind Big's desk.

Five minutes later, Big returns to his desk, reeking of fish guts, face wet from tears.


	6. 06 Not yet a Session

**06: Not yet a Session**

When Amy goes in for her session, Tails comes into the building.

The reception area, small and square, is the exact size of Sonic's office (both rooms forming the rectangular building that is Sonic's practice). Wood paneling covers the walls. Floral patterned carpeting covers the floor. Four wooden chairs with mauve colored cushions stand, lined side by side, next to the entrance door and before a large window, facing Big's desk.

Tails sits in the seat furthest from the entrance door. He glances at the door left of Big's desk. He knows Sonic is in there with Amy. He knows the room is soundproof, preventing outsiders from hearing private information. He knows Amy will tell him nothing when she comes out.

Big knows Tails is not here to wait for an appointment. "Did you want to schedule an appointment for later?"

Tails nods his head, remaining in his seat.

"What day would you like to schedule it for?"

Tails abruptly stands and waltzes over to Big's desk, his tails swishing behind him. "Any openings tomorrow?"

Big checks the computer for Doctor Hedgehog's schedule for tomorrow. "There are lots of openings." He reads the times to Tails. Tails stops him at the one o'clock opening. "Okay," Big says, nodding. "Tomorrow at one." He inputs the data and then reaches for an appointment card.

"I don't need one," Tails tells him, looking intently at the drying fur on the cat's face. "Did he make you cry?"

Big blinks, obviously baffled. "Who?"

Tails nods toward Sonic's door. "Him."

Big's eyes widen and he shakes his head. His slow sounding voice fills the air. "Oh, no. Doctor would never make Big cry."

Tails' hands press against the edge of the desk as he leans forward, peering up at the purple cat's face. "Then why were you crying? I saw you. You came outside and immediately burst into tears."

"Because," Big says as though the reason is evident, "Froggy ran away as soon as I opened door."

"Oh." Tails pushes away from the desk and turns. "Tomorrow then."

Big nods. "At one."

Tails goes to the entrance door and opens it. For several seconds he stands with his hand on the doorknob, unmoving. "Sonic makes lots of people cry," he says. Then he steps out the open door. It swings shut behind him.


	7. 07 Amy

**07: Amy**

"And so he told me, 'If I ever catch your lips on his, you'll find my fist in your face.'"

Sonic, in his chair behind his desk, looks up at the couch-reclining Amy. His pen stops recording, and his brow lifts. "Sonic said that?"

Amy nods and crosses her heart, hoping not to die. "Now do you understand why I'm so afraid of him, why I can never love him?"

Sonic bites his lower lip, perhaps to hold back a laugh or because he is greatly disturbed. "Amy," he pauses, "think really hard about what you're saying. Really hard."

Amy closes her eyes. "Okay, Doctor, I'm thinking really hard. Now what?"

Sonic stares at her for a moment, not understanding what she means. Then realizing she's doing visualization, he says, "Those words that you said Sonic told you, imagine them coming out of your mouth."

Amy's face scrunches up. "Okay…but…um…who am I saying this to?"

"Shadow, Amy. You're saying these words to Shadow."

"Shadow?" Her eyes flutter open, and she stares, befuddled, at Sonic. "Why would I say that to Shadow."

"Honestly, Amy, I don't know. Why would you say that to Shadow?"

"I wouldn't."

"Wouldn't you?"

"Nope."

Sonic frowns and scribbles a word onto a fresh page. "Amy, do you know what illusory means."

"Illuso-wha?"

"I'll take that to mean 'no.'" He stands, walks over to Amy, and holds the paper out to her. "You're homework for this week is to learn what illusory means and then to write down every time you feel this way."

Amy accepts the paper and smiles happily down at the new word. "Illusory. Sounds pretty, like a dream."

Returning to his seat, Sonic picks up his pen. He taps it against his desk, taking a moment to think about Amy's delusions. Amy takes a moment to look at the bare wall behind him. "Hmm, aren't you supposed to have a picture of Sonic behind you? Eggman told me you'd put one up. Said it looked conquerable."

The pen stops mid-tap. "Oh, that. I uh, that is, I took it down."

"Why?"

"Because I…" His voice fades, and he looks over his shoulder at the bare wall. "Because I…" He suddenly turns his attention to the papers on his desk, picking them up and straightening them into a pile. "Because I didn't want to disturb you. With you having so many issues concerning Sonic, I figured the best thing to do was take it down."

Amy smiles. "That was thoughtful of you." Her smile droops. "I wish Sonic could be half as thoughtful."

"You're not the only one," Sonic mutters.

"Hmm?"

"Oh, nothing. Let's talk about Shadow now."

Amy giggles and blushes. "Oh, _he's_ dreamy."


	8. 08 Clocking Out

**08: Clocking Out**

Sonic sits at his desk reviewing a patient file. It is midafternoon and the office is quiet and comfortably warm. The room's one window on the wall to Sonic's right is open, permitting the entrance of cool breezes. But the breezes are few and far between, and the warmth of the room is making Sonic sluggish. It has wrapped around him like a favorite blanket; urging his eyelids to droop ever lower; urging his mind to grow ever dimmer.

His eyes, heavy with lethargy, shift from Knuckle's patient file to his watch. His eyes snap open wide and sits upright. "Man, it's late. Time for me to get out of here."

He removes his glasses and places them in the top drawer. He places the file he'd been reading into the desk's filing drawer. "Hmm, this thing is getting pretty cramped," he notes. "Maybe I'll buy that filing cabinet after all." Standing, he tilts his head to the left, then to the right. A satisfying crack is heard. "Ah."

He leaves the office. "Big, I'm heading out. Remember to lock up."

"Sure thing, Doctor," Big says and looks up from his work on the computer. Photoshop is open on the monitor and a picture of Froggy pasted onto a desert landscape is seen. The words "Have you seen this Froggy" are printed beneath. "Oh, and you have three appointments tomorrow."

Sonic stops halfway across the room. "Three?"

"Yes." Big minimizes Photoshop and pulls up the appointment schedule. "Let's see. At nine Omega is coming in. Vector at ten. And at one—"

"Ah, never mind," Sonic says, waving his hand. "I'll find out tomorrow." He speeds out the door.

Big exits the schedule and maximizes Photoshop. He clicks _print_, types _50_ for the number of copies, and then clicks _okay_. Collecting his printouts, he places them on his desk. "Time to lock up."


	9. 09 Omega

**09: Omega**

Sonic sits at his desk. Omega has somehow managed to sit on the leather sofa without breaking it. Sonic says, "So you would like to schedule Shadow for some appointments with me?"

"Yes," Omega confirms.

Sonic nods. "I understand. But _you_ must understand that while you may set up an appointment for him, if Shadow should choose not to come, he won't."

"He'll come," Omega drones. And somehow, though completely void of emotion, his voice sounds threatening.

Sonic nods. "And you must understand that I will not counsel someone who is unwillingly brought to a session."

Omega's red eyes flash with blinding brightness. "He'll come willingly."

Sonic's lips purse. He inhales and exhales through his nose. "Well then," he says, pitying Shadow as he does, "I'll see Shadow next week."

"No." Omega's head swivels in alternating directions. His head snaps back to forward position, and his metal arm raises, a sharp, sliver finger aimed at Sonic's heart. "You will see him tomorrow."

Sonic wonders (and rightfully so) if Omega's fingers also work as guns. "Tomorrow is fine."

If Omega had a mouth, he would be smiling. "Good." He stands. "You will see him at nine in the morning. His file is in your lower desk drawer."

"Nine is fine, and his file will be when I've had a chance to talk to him. But how did you know that?"

"I deposited the file into your drawer prior to our meeting."

Brow scrunching, Sonic opens his drawer. In a sea of beige folders stands a single black folder with Shadows name written in red on the label attached to the tab.

As Omega closes the door, he inform Sonic that, "You should make sure to properly lock up from now on."

Sonic looks up at the shut door and stares at it for several minutes before the meaning of those words register. His head whips in the direction of the open window; the window that he did not open when coming in this morning; the window that he'd opened yesterday; the window that Big—when locking up—had forgotten to close.

Without warning, Omega steps in front of the window from outside. Only his torso can be seen. Monotonously, he says, "Always remember to lock up."

Sonic makes no reply. Instead, he wonders how Omega's bulk could fit through the opened window. And, more importantly, what happened to his window's screen?


	10. 10 Vector

**10: Vector**

Vector stands at the open window, shaking his head. Sonic sits with both feet propped on his desk. His glasses are also on the desk, within reach should he decide to retrieve them.

"A missing screen is never any good," Vector says. He returns to the burgundy couch, his tail lying across the cushions and drooping over the armrest. "You'll have bugs coming in here and disturbing your patients."

Just then Charmy's face pops into view of the open window. "D'ya want Espio to bring it over now," the young bee chirps.

"No, Charmy! I said I'd tell ya when."

Charmy nods and buzzes merrily away.

Vector turns back to Sonic with a crocodile's grin. "See what I'm sayin'? You don't get yourself another screen soon, then you can just bet your patients will be complain' up a storm."

Sonic nods, knowing where this is going. Most of Vector's sessions consist of the crocodile trying to sell him something. "I've already put in a call to have the screen replaced."

"Aw, now why'd you do that? Me 'n the boys could'a put in another for you, real cheap."

"Well, nothing to be done about that now."

Vector heaves a great sigh and slumps back. "Charmy," he yells, "tell Espio to bring it round."

Sonic wonders if the crocodile has been able to pay this month's rent and asks, "Bring what around?"

Vector chuckles and rubs the back of his head. "Your missing screen."

"My missing screen?" Sonic's feet sweep to the floor.

Vector raises his hands defensively in front of himself, "Now before you go thinkin' things like I stole it, let me explain."

Sonic, more interested than angry, says, "Explain."

"I just happened to be walking by your office last night when I saw this giant robot go round back. After 'bout a minute or so, he came back round front. So I got curious, wonderin' what he was doing back there and went to take a look. I found your window screen lying on the ground and your window open. I peaked inside to see what the thing took, but everything looked alright, so I just took your screen home to keep safe till you needed it back."

Sonic nods, understanding completely. "So you stole it and tried to sell it back to me."

"Now why d'ya have to say it like that?"

Were Sonic dealing with anyone else, he'd have called the cops or sonic-spun him. But since it's Vector, "I'll give you five dollars to put it back in."

"Really?" Sonic nods. "Well, gee. Thanks, Sonic. You're a swell guy. I was telling Tails just that the other day, but he wouldn't listen. Kept goin' on and on 'bout how you don't do nothin' for no one." Vector stands. "I'll get my tools and have that screen back in, in no time."

Vector leaves and Sonic stares at the empty couch. "Tails said that?"


	11. 11 Canceled Session

**11: Canceled Session**

Sonic stands in front Big's desk, nervously wringing his hands. "Why didn't you tell me Tails had scheduled an appointment for today?"

Big's desk is a mess of crayons. He looks up from coloring in his _Frogs of the Pond_ coloring book. "I tried to tell you yesterday," he says in a voice that lulls. "But you said it didn't matter and left."

Sonic recalls and silently curses his carelessness. Pacing the waiting room floor, he tries to think of why Tails has made yet another appointment. He wonders why Tails has been saying things about him behind his back. Horrible things.

Coming up to Big's desk, he asks, "Did he really say I make people cry?"

Big looks up from his coloring book, confused. "Who?"

"Tails."

"Oh." Big nods. "He said you make lots of people cry."

Sonic's face falls. He turns away from Big and shuts his eyes. He takes a deep breath and wonders some more. What is wrong with Tails? Why is Tails saying these things? Why didn't that one week online class of psychology teach him how to deal with patients like this? Was the degree he earned after completing that class even real?

So many questions buzzing through his mind, he doesn't hear Big tell him that he's blocking the light.

"Big," he says, suddenly turning around. "I need you to cancel today's one o'clock."

Big has accidentally colored outside the line. "Oh no," he says.

"I know, I know," Sonic says. "Our policy is to cancel appointments at least 24 hours before appointment time, but…please just do it, and tell the patient that the Doctor is extremely sorry."

Big sighs and turns to a page ripe for the coloring. "Okay," he says distractedly.

Sonic nods. "Thank you." He heads for the door. "Please make sure to lock up properly before you leave," he says.

Picking up the blue crayon, Big nods.


	12. 12 Tomorrow

**12: Tomorrow**

It is one o'clock in the afternoon. Big the Cat sits at his desk in Sonic's practice. He is collecting his crayons and putting them back into their yellow and green cardboard box. It is time to lock up for the day, he has decided.

Just then, the front door opens. Tails waltzes in, a strange gleam in his eyes. "Sonic's not here," Tails says. Big, unable to tell if this is a statement or a question, says nothing and continues putting away his crayons. Tails comes up to his desk and slaps a white sheet of paper atop it. "You're going to do me a favor."

Big looks down at Tails, blinking several times. "I am?"

Tails nods. "Tomorrow, when Sonic comes into work, you're going to tell him something."

Big continues blinking. "I am?"

"You're going to tell him…" Tails pauses. His glazed eyes stare up into Big's. The cat shivers, not liking that gaze. "You're going to tell him," Tails says, and continues on to tell Big exactly what he's going to say tomorrow. Big gasps, not liking what Tails has said.

"I can't tell Sonic that," he declares.

Tails smiles. He flips the white sheet of paper over to reveal a picture of Froggy pasted on top of a desert background on the other side. It is Big's flyer for his missing frog. Tails' smile widens and he says, "I found Froggy."


	13. 13 Say It

**13: Say It**

Big likes to get to the office before Sonic. He likes to have the waiting area ready and be sitting at his desk when Sonic walks in. He likes smiling at Sonic and saying, "Good morning." He likes Sonic smiling back and saying, "Good morning."

Sonic's office feels like home. Working in Sonic's office, Big feels like he's part of a family.

So today, Big purposely comes in late. When he opens the front door, Sonic's office door is shut and the _In Session_ sign is hanging outside it. Big is happy he did not have a chance to speak to Sonic. He sets his duffle bag on the floor next to his chair and hopes he does not have a chance to speak to Sonic for the rest of the day. Because if he does, he'll have no choice but to…

The desk phone rings. Big answers it. "This is Doctor Sonic's office. Big speaking. How may I help you?"

"Why did you go in late?" It is Tails.

Big whimpers, knowing what Tails expects of him. "I can't say it."

Tails laughs. "Yes you can. _Froggy_ seems to believe you can. Or don't you want to see him again."

Big's head bows and he softly says, "I do."

"Then say it."

Eyes shut, body trembling, Big nods. "Okay."

"Good. Tell him during his lunch break. And remember, I'm watching you."

Big's head shoots up and he looks around. "From where?"

In reply, the line goes dead.


	14. 14 Shadow

**14: Shadow**

Shadow sits on the burgundy sofa. Sonic sits at his desk. Shadow's file is open on top of the desk. The file isn't large; it consists of a single sheet of paper; on the paper is a single sentence. Sonic reads the sentence aloud. "Shadow will not mow the lawn." He looks up at Shadow and purses his lips to hold back a laugh.

Shadow, far from amused, glares. "Something funny, Sonic?"

Sonic clears his throat and shakes his head. "No, Shadow. But, um, would you mind telling me why you won't mow the lawn?"

"Yes. I mind very much."

"Okay." Sonic closes the file and leans back in his chair. "Then tell me why you're here. Being the ultimate life form, you should be able to hold your own against a mere robot."

Shadow cocks his head to the side. He smiles smugly. "Of course _I _can. But from what I hear, Omega's visit made you pee in your seat, which would explain that awful stench."

Sonic jumps to his feet, quills bristling. "The only peeing I do is in the toilet, you son of a—"

"Temper, temper," Shadow intercedes.

Sonic's eyes narrow as he takes a deep breath, calming himself. Suddenly he grins. "You're right. How unprofessional of me. I'm here to help you. So let me start by helping you with the dreadful emotions you must be experiencing after getting beaten up by a girl."

Shadow snarls. "She did _not_ beat me up!"

"Tsk, tsk. You mustn't delude yourself, Shadow. You need to face reality, however unpleasant it may be. And the fact is, Amy kicked your butt."

"Son of a finch!"

Quick as lightning, Sonic is on his feet. "My mother was a full blooded hedgehog!"

"Ha! Your daddy just told that so you wouldn't feel like the freak you are."

"You—" Sonic stops. His shoulders relax and he puts down the stapler he'd been about to throw. Covering his face with his hand, he slumps into his chair. "I'm sorry," he says and means it. "I'm taking my frustrations out on you." His hand falls away and he gives a strained smile. "Some doctor I am," he mutters.

"Whatever. Can I go now?"

Sonic glances at his watch. "We've got another forty minutes."

Shadow groans. "So I'm supposed to stare at your ugly mug for over half an hour?"

"Not necessarily. You can stare at your shoes."

For the next five minutes, Shadow stares at his shoes. Then he shifts uncomfortably in his chair. "So what's wrong with you, anyway?"

Sonic glances up from the word search book he'd pulled from his top drawer. He deliberates whether he should answer the question. With a glance at his watch, he sees that there are still thirty-some minutes to go. "Tails," he says.

Shadow, hmms and nods. "So, he's still upset?"

Sonic—in the middle of circling _flabbergast_—drops his pencil and stares at Shadow. "What do you mean?"

"Well about two weeks ago, I ran into him when he was coming back from being in a play or something. He looked really upset. And I think he'd been crying."

Sonic's brow creases. "Two weeks ago? That's when he had his dance recital." His eyes shift left and right as his mind scans the memory of that day. "I had an emergency to deal with and didn't see him till I got home later. And—wait a minute!" His gaze fixes on Shadow. "He'd sprained his ankle because someone ran into him on his way home." Shadow smiles nervously. Sonic points an accusing finger at him. "You literally ran into him!"

"It was an accident," Shadow protests. "I suddenly had a flashback while I was running."

"I thought you said you stopped having flashbacks."

Shadow shrugs and looks down at his shoes. "They just started back up again."

"Do you know why?" Shadow bites his lower lip. "Shadow, does this have something to do with—"

"I don't want to talk about it!" Jumping up from his chair, Shadow opens the door and rushes out.

Sonic frowns. He pulls out Shadow's file from beneath the word search book. _Flashbacks have started again_, he writes. _Might have something to do with _that_ incident_.


	15. 15 Vanilla

**15: Vanilla**

Vanilla the Rabbit is lying on the leather couch in the small square room that is Sonic's office. She holds a handkerchief to her eyes as she softly weeps. "I don't know what I'm doing wrong," she cries. "But Cream makes it pretty obvious that I'm doing _something_. She's always running away, always going to Amy's house." Vanilla dabs her eyes until all tears have been wiped away. She turns her head so she's looking at Sonic sitting at his desk. "Do you think I'm a bad parent, Doctor?"

Sonic glances up from the writing he's done in the adult rabbit's file. "I believe," he says, "that that question can only be answered by you." He pushes the file aside and leans against his mahogany chair's burgundy back cushion. "Do you think you're a bad parent?"

Vanilla turns her gaze to the ceiling and throws her hands up toward it. "I don't know!". Her arms fall to her sides. "All I know is that Cream keeps running away. And then when she comes home, it's _Miss Amy this_ and _Miss Amy that_."

Sonic nods. "Have you tried asking Cream why she runs away?"

Vanilla turns her face to him, eyes wide and aghast. "No. I-I've told you already. I can't ask Cream that. What if she says she runs away because I'm a bad parent?"

"Then you accept her view of yourself and find out how she came to have that view. Maybe you really are a bad parent. If so, you become a good parent. Or maybe Cream is just a kid who's acting out for whatever reason. If this is the case, then it will be revealed in her answer, and you need to find out what is causing her to act out so you can help her deal with it. Or maybe it's something else. But the first step to finding out is asking that one question."

Vanilla stares at him for several silent minutes. Then, "But what if it's because I'm a bad parent?"

Sonic sighs and glances at his watch. "I'm sorry, Ms. Rabbit, but our time for today is over." He scribbles a note on her file to help him plan her next session. "If you go out front, Big will schedule you for your next appointment."

When Vanilla has gone, Sonic looks at the empty couch. He envisions Tails sitting there. After seconds of consideration, he asks, "Am I a bad parent?"

Tails does not answer, because Tails is not there. And so the room is left in silence.


	16. 16 Eggman

**16: Eggman**

"I think he must be lonely." Eggman sits with his hands clasped in his lap. His head is bowed and his voice is soft and sad. "I wonder if it's my fault he's that way. Maybe if I wasn't always trying to take over the world, he'd have more time to socialize. But I can't help myself. I _have _to take over the world." He sighs. "Still, I wonder if, when my plans are set into motion and Sonic comes running to stop me, _he_ doesn't feel a little forlorn. Not that he isn't included—sometimes he is. But…I don't know…"

Lips pursed, Sonic stares at the pensive scientist. Now is the perfect time to ask Eggman a question; his gut tells him that Eggman will give a deep and insightful answer to any single question asked of him at this moment. But two questions burn in Sonic's mind. The first, if answered, will help to advance Eggman's therapy: Why do you feel you need to take over the world? The second, if answered, will satisfy a sudden and overwhelming curiosity: Who's lonely?

Selfishly, Sonic leans toward asking the latter. He worries that the person Eggman speaks of is Tails. After all, he has left Tails behind on numerous occasions when thwarting Eggman, which may very well have resulted in the fox feeling left out. Also, it is possible that Tails who was run into by Shadow had a not so painful encounter with Eggman, during which he inexplicably revealed the sorrows of his heart.

However, Tails socializes often enough and Eggman doesn't attempt world domination so frequently to negatively affect Tails' social life. This means that the person Eggman spoke of might be someone else, making the scientist's guilt that much more interesting and even more so the person who prompted it.

Sonic cannot help himself. "Who," he starts to say but abruptly stops._ You're a doctor_, he silently reprimands. _Helping your patient is your first priority_.

Sonic takes a deep breath and then releases it. He knows which question to ask.

"I like mackerels," Eggman says before Sonic manages to speak again. "Perhaps I should get a cat. What do you think, Doctor?"

"Umm…sure. But let's go back to what you were saying about how you _must_ take over the world. Why do you feel the need to dominate the world, Eggman?"

Eggman laughs. "Dominate? Doctor, I don't feel the need to dominate anything. I was saying that I feel I must take myself over the entire world at least once before I die."

Sonic slaps his hand over his face and mourns the lost moment of insight.


	17. 17 Lunch

**17: Lunch**

Sonic removes his spectacles and places them in the top drawer of his desk. It is a little past noon and the part of the day when he and Big take their lunch breaks.

The room is slightly warm, so he stands and goes to the window, opening it to let in cool air. Momentarily he eyes his screen just to be sure it is still there. Then he exits his office.

In the waiting room, he finds Big at his desk; the desk is strangely bare of clutter; the cat is strangely quiet. It is not that Big's desk is never in order or that the cat himself is never silent. There is just something different about both cat and desk today, different in a way that isn't quite right.

"Big," Sonic tentatively says. "Are you okay?"

Big flinches at the sound of his voice and turns around in the swivel chair around so as to not face him.

Sonic frowns, taking this motion to mean 'no.' "Do you want to talk about it," he offers.

Big shakes his head.

"That's fine," Sonic says but doesn't mean it. Something is wrong, and he wants to help.

Big's shoulders start to quake, and Sonic fears the cat is crying. "I can't say it," Big whispers in a quavering voice.

Sonic leans forward and speaks in a gentle voice. "It's okay. I'm not going to make you say anything. I was just concerned, but…um…I'll head out for lunch now, okay?" He has a cold cut he'd made that morning stored in the fridge behind Big's desk, but he figures now isn't the best time to reach around the cat to get it. He inches backward toward the door that acts as both entrance and exit.

Big abruptly whirls around in his seat, his tear-filled eyes freezing Sonic 's shuffling steps. Just as abruptly Big breaks into a fast paced confession. "Tails wants me to say something horrible to you. He wants you to think you're a horrible person. I don't know why, but he does." Tears stream down Big's furry face, and his voice slows. "But you're not horrible, Sonic. You're nice and kind."

As sweet as the last statements are, the rest of what Big has said is disconcerting and a bit much for Sonic to take in, so he simply stares at the cat for a minute, processing it. Then he opens his mouth to speak, but he does not know what to say. His mind is swirling with so many questions. What has Tails asked Big to say? Does the fox really want to him think he's a horrible person? And what has he done to make Tails want to do this?

Finally, Sonic knows what he wants to ask and puts his hanging jaw to use. "Where's Tails?"

Big shakes his head. "I don't know."

Sonic nods. "Cancel the rest of today's appointments." He speeds out the door.

When Sonic has gone, Big tries his best to collect himself—rubbing his eyes with gloved hands and sniffling noisily. The ringing of his phone interrupts him. Without thinking, he picks it up and gives his usual office greeting.

"Hello, Big."

The cat sucks in a sharp breath. "T-Tails."

"I'm calling to tell you that Froggy is very disappointed." There is a click before the line goes dead.

Hand shaking, Big hangs up. Then hanging his head, he cries.


	18. 18 Worried

**18: Worried**

Sonic dashes into his practice and skids to a stop before Big's desk. He does not turn to look at the carpet that his skidding has mutilated, though he does turn to see if Big is polishing the wooden chairs in front of the large window, because Big is not at his desk; but Big is not polishing chairs either. Big is not in the room.

Sonic strides to his office door and flings it open. A quick sweep of the room with his eyes confirms that Big isn't here. Sonic's brow furrows, and he turns around in a circle, helplessly. Where could Big have gone? Maybe to use the bathroom at the park just one block away?

Muttering to himself about how he should have leased a building with a bathroom, Sonic moves behind Big's desk and picks up the office phone. He can't help but note that Big's duffel bag is missing. He poises his finger to dial, but realizes he doesn't know the number and hangs up—not that knowing the number would be of any help since he can't remember which number to press to dial out (was it four?).

He sighs in exasperation. Where is Big? He hired the cat to take care of making all the calls and what not. So why isn't he here? Big should be here. He is getting paid to be here. If he wants to be somewhere else, then maybe he should quit. Better yet, maybe he should be fired. Yes, fired!

Sonic abruptly shakes his head. "Calm down," he says. "Calm down and think." Moving from behind the desk, he paces in a circle in the area of between the desk and waiting chairs. "Okay, so Tails isn't at home, the park, the dance studio, or anywhere else I can think of." His voice rises with each word spoken, till it is shrill. He takes deep breaths to calm himself and glances at the phone. "I have no idea where to look for him. Big, who seems to have been the last person in contact with him, is gone. And the only detective agency that would immediately start looking for him when hired changes their phone number so often that I have no idea what it is now." Sonic stops his pacing. His eyes are fixed on the phone. "Maybe that guy at Burger Place is still taking calls for the Chaotix." He starts for the phone then stops. "Maybe I'm overreacting."

Slumping into the waiting chair furthest from the entrance door, Sonic buries his face in his hands, his elbows resting on his knees. Memories of Tails dance behind his closed lids, memories of the fox's recent behavior. Sonic had tried to deny it, but upon seeing Big's tears, he found he no longer could (tears always spurred Sonic into action). Something was wrong with Tails, and it was time he found out what. Only he can't, because Tails is in none of his usual places, places he and Sonic agreed he should be whenever Sonic isn't with him. This of course leads to the unpleasant question that has been cavorting through Sonic's mind for the last half hour: Where is Tails?

The city is large, so there are numerous places where Tails might be. But the city is not one hundred percent safe, and still there are a number of places where Tails might be—alone, cold, and bruised; possibly even de...

Sonic jumps to his feet, determined to renew his search when the entrance door swooshes open. Mighty the Armadillo steps inside. He glares with the intensity of an inferno and demands to know, "Why was my appointment canceled?"

* * *

A/N - Oh! Sonic's 'bout to get slapped, j/k. Anyways, I just want to say thanks to all of you who have either favorited or alerted this story. And a special thanks to everyone who has taken the time to review.


	19. 19 Sonic

**19: Sonic**

Sonic stands, arm stretched out before him, fist clenched, eyes wide. Ever so slowly, his arm lowers. Ever so slowly, his eyes lower. He shudders at what he sees sprawled on the floor. He shudders at what he has done.

"See? I told you punching stuff makes you feel better." Mighty sits at Big's desk, chomping down on what was meant to be Sonic's lunch. He casually waves to the dictionary on the floor. "I throw a few more of those at you, and you'll have punched you're way back into a better mood." He lifts another dictionary. "Ready?"

Sonic shakes his head and turns his back on the fallen dictionary. "No." His shoulders heave with a great sigh. "This isn't right, Mighty. Punching knowledge, it's…it's just wrong."

Mighty laughs. "Always so uptight. Just let loose and punch them. And when you do, think of all those words in there that you don't know, words that are written on page after page, too many to be remembered by anyone. Let those words weigh down on you, then reach back and BAM! Punch those words as hard as you can. Punch the weight of all those words you don't know, all that unknown that's weighing you down, and you'll feel so much lighter."

Sonic whirls around, annoyed by Mighty's relaxed tone. "Tails is missing," he gratingly says.

Mighty takes a swig of bottled grape juice that Big always makes sure to keep stocked in the fridge. "I know," he says in that annoyingly flippant voice. "You've told me like a hundred times." He takes a bite of the cold cut sub and noisily chews. He takes another swig of juice. "But being worried and all panicky isn't going to do anything for you. All it will do is make it harder for you to think about a solution. So," he picks up the dictionary, "punch!" He hurls the dictionary at Sonic, leaving the hedgehog with no alternative but to do as he's been commanded.

"Ha!" The dictionary flies back toward Mighty who rolls to the left just before the dictionary connects with his face. "Don't do that," Sonic hisses.

Mighty smiles and looks down at the dictionary that almost hit him. "Good punch. That one must have gotten some of that worry off your shoulders."

It has, but Sonic does not want to admit it. "Look, Mighty, I've already apologized to you for canceling your session, but an emergency came up and—"

"No emergency came up," Might intercedes. "You said that Big said that Tails said he wanted him to say something or the other to you to make you feel like a jerk, and then you decided you had to find Tails to find out what's been bothering him, but you also said that you knew something was up with Tails for about a week but didn't do anything about it because you didn't want to think about it."

"What?"

"Don't you 'what' me. You said all that after you apologized for canceling my session. Burst into tears too."

"I did not," Sonic roars.

Mighty waves dismissively at him. "My story, I'll tell it how I want. Now, stop and really think about where Tails could be."

Sonic does. "I don't know," he mutters a minute later. "I really checked everywhere that he should be."

Mighty nods. "And you checked with Ms. Rabbit, right?"

"Yes, I…Wait." Sonic's eyes shift left then right. "I didn't." He looks at Mighty and smiles. "He might be with Vanilla."

Mighty smiles back and picks up the phone. "Then let's just give _Ms. Rabbit_ a call."

Sonic rolls his eyes. "She always tells me to call her Vanilla, okay? And we can't use that phone, I don't know what number to push to dial out."

Mighty pushes a number. "It's five. Now what's _Ms. Rabbit's_ number?"


	20. 20 Not a Session

**20: Not a Session**

Sonic opens the pink colored door. On the other side, Cream and Tails sit across from each other at a miniature version of a soda shop table with matching pink cushioned stools. Cream turns to look at Sonic and smiles. "Mr. Sonic," she says, "do you want to join us?" She and Tails are having a tea party. On the circular table top sits a plastic rose colored tea set and a plate of cookies smeared with a ridiculous amount of pink frosting.

From behind Sonic, Vanilla says, "Not right now, dear. Sonic has something he needs to talk to Tails about, so why don't you come help me see if the next batch of cookies is ready?"

"Okay, Mommy." Cream gets up and scurries out of the room.

Sonic shuts the door. He seats himself across from Tails. "We need to talk."

Tails says nothing and turns his face to the window at his right. His eyes linger on its pink curtains before focusing on something beyond the window's glass. Sonic's eyes stay on the fox who, after a drawn out silence, speaks. "Cream hates pink."

"I was hoping to talk about us," Sonic says. Tails shrugs. Sonic leans forward. "To be more specific, I was hoping to talk about _you_."

"Really?" Tails turns to Sonic with a smile that is the image of pleasantness yet hints at something painful. "Well, maybe I don't want to talk about me. Why don't we talk about you?"

Sonic's gaze moves from the fox cub's all too pleasant smile to his vacant blue eyes. His heart clenches. Why had he let things with Tails get so bad? He should have paid him more attention. "Sure."

Tails blinks several times, as if caught off guard. His smile falters, then returns—tight and suspicious. "Look, if you're going to ground me, then just do it already." He rolls his eyes. "I didn't think Big would get so upset, alright? But I left Froggy at Big's house like I told him I would. He's probably there with him right now. Call him yourself if you don't believe me."

"Froggy? What are you talking about?"

Tails' face mirrors the confusion Sonic feels. "Big didn't tell you," the fox asks.

"Tell me what," Sonic earnestly asks.

Tails shakes his head and looks away. "Never mind."

"Tails—" Sonic sighs, exasperated. Elbows, on the short table, he buries his face in his hands. "I don't know what's going on with you. But I want to. So don't tell me to never mind." He sits up and stares pleadingly into Tails' expressionless face. "I don't know what I did or why you want me to think I'm a horrible person. But I want to know, so tell me. Tell me what I did wrong."

A minute passes, Sonic staring desperately at Tails, and Tails staring blankly back. Another minute passes. Then another. Finally: "I was the fox," Tails softly says.

Sonic does not know how to respond, so he tentatively rephrases Tails' statement in the form of a question. "You were the fox?"

This sets Tails off.

"Yes!" Tails jumps to his feet and the stool tumbles back. "I was the fox," he shouts. His palms slam flat against the tabletop as he bends forward. His eyes are alive with rage and his voice is painfully bitter. "I'd told you over and over again, but you only pretended to listen. You only pretended to care," he bites out. "You promised to come, but every time I looked at the audience you weren't there. And then I had to walk home all by myself." Tears well up in Tails' eyes and then spill over. He continues on, voice quavering until it ultimately breaks off. "And then Shadow ran into me, and then when I got home no one was there, and when you got back you acted like nothing had happened, but…"

Wide eyed and heart beating like mad, Sonic sits frozen. More than anything, he wants to get up and pull Tails into an embrace, but he knows he will only be pushed away, thus increasing the distance between them. And so Tails, hands still press against the table, weeps loudly, tears splattering against the pink tabletop.

Sonic does not speak. Sonic does not move. Immobilized with fear, all he can do is think. _I was the fox_. And remember. _I'm going to be the fox_.

Yes, he remembered.

A month ago there had been auditions at Tails' dance school for _The Little Prince_. Tails had gotten the role of the fox. He'd been so excited. He'd told Sonic over and over again and made Sonic promise again and again that he'd make it to the class' performance in three weeks. But Sonic had been distracted. One of his patients at work was getting worse, and his thoughts seemed to always go to what he could do to help the patient, for he feared the patient was nearing a breaking point and might do something drastic.

Still, he'd promised Tails he would go, and he had every intention of going. In fact, he'd left his schedule free that day so nothing could prevent him from missing the performance, but…

"Doctor, I'm going to do it." Knuckles called.

Sonic was heading out the door when the phone rang. Upon hearing Knuckles' declaration, he knew just what the echidna meant and that he needed to be stopped. "Where are you?"

"What does it matter? He'll be here any minute."

"Knuckles," Sonic's voice was soft and soothing, "I need you to tell me where you are. Can you do that for me?"

There was a moment of hesitation before Knuckles answered. "I'm at the pizza place at 45th and Main."

"I'll be there in ten seconds," Sonic said before hanging up.

When he reached Knuckles, he had to act fast, and was successful in removing the echidna from the restaurant before the arrival of the anticipated guest. He took Knuckles back to his office, and, together, they quelled the emotion that had almost made Knuckles do the unthinkable. They spoke for hours, and Sonic came to believe that Knuckles had reached some understanding about why he'd acted so hastily that day and why he'd often felt that way in the past. Sonic went home that evening having completely forgotten about Tails' recital.

He'd forgotten about Tails.

Sitting on the stool that is a color that Cream supposedly hates, Sonic now looks at the fox that is both his friend and young charge. He knows now what he has done. He now knows what he must do.

He stands and goes to Tails' side. "I'm sorry, little buddy," he says. He pulls the fox into his arms, and holds tighter when Tails tries to push him away. Ultimately, Tails ceases to struggle, and collapses against Sonic. Soon, his arms slip around Sonic's torso and his head presses against Sonic's shoulder. He cries harder, sobbing, "You should have been there. You should have been there."

Sonic nods and nestles his chin lovingly against Tails' furry head. "I know, little buddy. And I'm so sorry. But I'll be there for you from now on." He gives Tails a gentle squeeze. "I bet you were a great fox."

* * *

A/N – And so ends Tails' saga. Who's next? Well, you'll just have to wait and see.

And now for some interesting info about SWS. Originally SWS was supposed to be a story about Sonic slowly going insane, all thanks to lovable Tails. In this version of SWS, Tails' hero envy for Sonic has past the point of normal, and even of obsession. Tails wants to become Sonic. So, little by little, Tails does things (small at first) that will ultimately end with Sonic's loss of sanity. Tails will then take over Sonic's role as hero and "doctor" to their friends. And in the end, Tails will amusedly say that his favorite sessions are those with Sonic. Hence the title.


	21. 21 Morning at the Office

**21: Morning at the Office**

Big sits at his desk, typing up a complaint. On the floor next to his desk lies Froggy's bed—a small green bed for miniature dogs—where Froggy slumbers. On the other side of Big's desk stands Sonic's office door. Sonic is behind this closed door, preparing for the day's first session. With the three of them in their proper places, everything is almost as it should be for the first work hour of the day. However, a fox cub sits on one of the waiting chairs, and—being neither a waiting patient nor someone waiting to collect a patient from a finished session—he does not belong in the office. Yet there he sits, legs swinging back and forth as he happily stares at Sonic's door.

Big gives Tails a burning glare before turning his gaze back to his monitor's screen. _I simply cannot be expected to and should not have to work under such circumstances_, Big types.

"Whatcha doing?"

Big's hands freeze and he looks at Tails. "Work," he gruffly says before returning to his complaint.

"Can I help?"

Big types faster and his keystrokes grow louder. "No."

Tails remains silent for the next few minutes, and Big completes his task with no more interruptions. He saves his file and then closes out of the word processor.

Finished, he looks down at Froggy and smiles. He then looks at Tails and frowns. "Shouldn't you be in school," he asks, though not from concern.

Tails, still swinging his legs, shakes his head. "Sonic said I don't have to go back for my doctorate until I'm ready."

Big's eyes narrow. "Excuses," he mutters.

"I heard that," Tails says. His legs stop swinging, and he levels Big with a firm stare. "I already apologized. What else do you want me to do?"

Big points to the exit. "Leave."

Tails, smiling, looks back at Sonic's door. "Nope." His legs return to their swinging.

Determined, Big reopens the word processor and prints his complaint.


	22. 22 Cream

**22: Cream**

"I almost asked her, Doctor." Cream sits on the leather sofa, eyes gazing at the invisible circles that she's absently drawing on the burgundy cushion. "But I got scared."

Sonic asks softly, soothingly, "What scared you?"

Cream's finger stops, and her latest circle remains half drawn. Her hands slide into her lap, and she stares down at them. "I got scared of hearing her say it."

"But Cream, you don't know if she's going to say that."

She shakes her head. "I know she will." She cocks her head. "Or maybe you're right. But if she doesn't say it, that'll just be worse."

"Why?"

"Because I know she'll be lying."

Sonic sighs and silently curses patient confidentiality. "How do you know that it will be a lie?"

Her face lifts and she gives him a sad smile, enhanced by sad eyes. "Because she's never said it to me before. Not once. She's never said, 'I love you, Cream.'" She starts drawing circles again. "And you know, if I ask her if she hates me and then she tells me 'no' and that she loves me, I'll just know it'll be a lie. Because why would she wait till then to say it? Huh?"

Cream is sporting a new watch. She looks at it and sighs. "Times up."

Sonic glances at his watch. "You're right." He looks at Cream. "But if you want to talk some more, I don't have another appointment for an hour."

Cream shakes her head and stands. Sonic gets up to open the door. Before he reaches for the knob, he says in an embarrassed and apologetic voice, "About our last session. You know, when I…uh…when I—"

"It's okay." Cream, smiles up at him, eyes full of understanding. "You were sad too, Mr. Sonic. But things worked out for you, and I'm glad for that." Cream places her hand on the knob, twists it, and pulls the door open. At the doorway, she stops, back facing Sonic, and says, "I wish me and Mommy could get a happy ending too." She walks away before he can say anything.

Almost instantly, Tails bounds up to him. "Is it time for your break yet?"


	23. 23 Complaint

**23: Complaint**

Big smiles when Sonic strides past Tails. "Oh…um…I can't take a break yet. But soon, little buddy." Sonic stops in front of Big's desk. "Did you call the Chaotix?"

Big nods and says, "Vector said they'd be happy to install a new rug for you tomorrow. He also said he doesn't know what happened to your window screen and that just because he borrowed it once without asking doesn't mean he'd do it again."

Sonic is surprised. "He didn't take it?"

"That's what he said."

The hedgehog's eyes narrow. "Omega," he mutters. "And that explains why Shadow's file seemed to have grown in size. Big," his eyes lock on the cat, "make sure that all office windows are closed from now on. I understand that you had an emergency yesterday but in the future, please be sure to do this."

Big nods and Sonic starts to turn. However, the crisp sheet of paper Big thrusts toward him stops Sonic in motion. "A complaint," Big says.

Sonic turns back and stares at the paper. "A…complaint?" His voice is high with surprise.

"A complaint," Big confirms.

Sonic stares at the paper as though it is some kind of disease. His expression a muddle of hurt and distress, he looks up at the large cat. "Are you unhappy working here?"

Big gives the paper a shake. "It's all on here."

Sonic takes the paper. "I'll read this now." He returns to his office with an apology to Tails. His door remains open.

"But Sonic," Tails whines.

"In a minute," Sonic calls out.

With a humph, Tails turns away from Sonic's door and glares at Big.

Big, unaware that he could smile in such a way, surprises himself by producing a devilish grin.

* * *

A/N - Thanks to everyone who has reviewed. And Graycat1, I'm glad you decided to stick with this story and that you liked the original plot. Unfortunately, I don't think I'll ever give that plot it's own story. I've got so many other stories that I want to write or rewrite, and that one isn't at the top of the list for me.

Thanks again everyone, and I hope you'll enjoy the twists and turns in future chapters.


	24. 24 Canceled Session

**24: Canceled Session**

When Big is called into Sonic's office, Tails sits in the chair closest to the wall and stares at Sonic's shut door. He has a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"What did Big write," Tails mumbles. His eyes swivel to the monitor on Big's desk.

"Hmm." Jumping to his feet, he quickly positions himself in front of the monitor. With a quick glance to his right, he lifts his hand and reaches forward. His hand settles on the monitor's top left. Gently and slowly, he slides his hand to the right until his hand slides upward, over some unseen object. "Forgot about this." Fingers encircle the invisible object and lift; immediately, the invisible object becomes visible—a black dome-shaped device with a lens at the front center and a small button at it's top: a spy camera.

"A perfect camera with a perfect cloaking device made by a perfect fox," Tails gushes. He pats the camera as though it is a favorite pet.

The entrance door squeaks open. Tails' hand shoots behind his back, hiding the camera from view as though it is a secret shame. "Uh…" He looks to see who's come in. "Oh. Amy." He slumps into Big's chair, placing the camera on the desk.

Amy doesn't look at him. She takes several tentative steps toward the desk, looking about her as if searching for something. "Is," her eyes finally lock on him, "Big here?"

Tails spins around in Big's chair before looking at her again. "Yeah. He's talking to Sonic right now, though."

"Oh. Speaking with the doctor…" Her lips purse and she stares intensely at Tails.

He shifts uncomfortably under her intense gaze. "Do you need to make an appointment?"

Amy continues to stare.

Tails gulps. "Uh…You're freaking me out."

Amy nods. "I'm sorry. My intense gaze is one of the things I've been trying to work on with the doctor." Her eyes are still locked on Tails. "I'm so used to staring intensely at Sonic that I've started doing it to everyone. Freaky, right?"

Tails nods. "I think I said that."

Amy nods. "You did."

Tails glances to his right, willing Sonic's door to open. It does not. "Can I help you with something, Amy?"

"Maybe. Do you work here?"

Tails blinks. Work here? Well, Sonic did say, "Sure you can hang out at the office while I work." So in a sense, if you just rearranged and omitted some words, Sonic really said, "Sure you can work at the office."

"Yeah, I work here," Tails says.

"Good." Amy smiles and her eyes lose their intensity. "I need to cancel Monday's appointment."

Tails places his hand over the mouse and searches the computer files until he finds Sonic's appointment schedule. "Okay. Just a second. Done." He looks up at Amy. "When do you want to reschedule for?"

Amy's lips purse and she nervously looks at Sonic's office door. "Uh…I'll just give you guys a call when I figure that out."

Tails nods and waves good-bye. When she was gone, he looks at his small camera and then at the waiting chairs. He smiles.

Jumping to his feet, he positions the camera on the desk behind the monitor; its tiny lens points at the waiting chairs. Then with a happy laugh, he presses the camera's top button and it vanishes.

"And now to find out what Big wrote." But before he has sat in Big's seat, Sonic's office door swings open.


	25. 25 Antagonist

**A/N - **Sorry I'm so late updating, but I've been busy. I want to thank Akira Cat, LilyRosetheDreamer, Hero Memory, and Twilitassassin13 for reviewing.

I know this chapter's short (they all are :P) but I hope you guys like it. And I'll be returning to the regular update schedule of putting out two chapters every week.

* * *

**25: Antagonist  
**

Big follows Sonic out of the office. He is nodding in agreement to what Sonic is saying about next month's office picnic when both see Tails standing in front of Big's desk, hand on the computer's mouse. They stop simultaneously.

Tails stands staring at them, eyes wide. "I just…I was…"

Big is happy about what Sonic has told him, so he speaks pleasantly when he asks Tails, "What are you doing at my desk?"

Tails' face scrunches up in confusion at the sound of Big's voice. He gives Big a look says, "Why are you so happy?" Big smiles wider at this. When Tails finally answers, his voice is full of caution. "I…Amy came in and said she needed to cancel her appointment, so I did it since Big was busy talking to you."

Big's ears twitch with annoyance. "That schedule is confidential."

"Oh. I didn't know."

Liar, Big thinks.

Sonic, not so sure of his protoge himself, gives the fox cub a suspicious look. "Tails," he says slowly, "did you do anything else?"

Tails dawns an expression that is both hurt and angry. "No," he forcefully says. "Why would you think that? I already said sorry about before. And right now I was only trying to help. Amy said she needed to cancel her appointment and that she was in a hurry, so I just canceled it since Big was busy. That's all." He mentally pats himself on the back for the tears he managed to conjure; tears that threaten to spill from the corners of his eyes. "Why don't you believe me? You never believe me!"

Sonic takes a deep breath and lets out a loud sigh. "I didn't say anything about not believing you. I was just asking if you'd done anything else. A simple 'no' would have been fine." He glances at Big and returns his gaze to Tails. "Now, I need to talk with you about something my office…so…" He motions for the fox cub to follow him and heads into his office.

Tails starts after Sonic but stops at Big's side. "Sonic wants me here, you know."

Big says nothing and returns to his desk chair. When Tails has closed the office door behind him, Big says, "But _I_ don't."


	26. 26 Until Then

**26: Until Then**

Tails doesn't yell or stamp his feet. He doesn't burst into tears or hurl something against the wall. When Sonic explains to him why he can no longer hang out at the office while waiting for him, Tails merely blinks. Once. Twice. Thrice. Then he speaks. "I understand." He nods. "This is a place of work, and I'd only get in the way hanging around." He nods again. "I'll see you after work." And then he smiles, big and happy.

Surprised but pleased by Tails' reaction, Sonic smiles back. "Thank you for being so mature about this, Tails. And you know I'd let you hang out here if I could."

"I know."

Proud of his little buddy, Sonic wants to reward him. "Hey, how 'bout we get some ice cream when I get off work?"

Tails' eyes widen and he leans forward. "Really? Just you and me?"

"Yep." He glances at his watch. "I've got another hour and a half before it's time to lock up, so let's meet up at Icy's Ice-Cream Palace at 12:15."

"Great!" Tails leaps to his feet. "See you then," he chirps.

Tails exits Sonic's office, closing the door behind him. In the waiting room, he turns to find Big smiling happily at him. "Good-bye, Tails," Big says.

Tails smiles back, eyes narrowed. "See you later, Big."


	27. 27 Mighty

**27: Mighty**

"So I was all ready to bust Bean in the face when he up and pulls out this present." Mighty the Armadillo sits on the burgundy couch, avidly using hand gestures to help tell his story. "He's all like 'I did it because I wanted to get you this.' And so there I am, fist raised and ready to strike, with this skillfully wrapped present—whoever wrapped that thing knew what they were doing—held between me and him. So I'm like, 'Dang.' You know? Cuz that wrapping looked awesome. So I take the present and set it at my feet. Then I raise my fist again and say, 'That had better be a Nintendo DSi in there, or I'm gonna have to give you another beat down after this one.' Then BAM! I punch him in the face."

Mighty is breathing hard, eyes energized, and hands clenched into fists, ready to pummel someone. Sonic can't help but wince, remembering what Bean the Dynamite's beak had looked like when he had visited him in the hospital. Tentatively, Sonic asks, "Don't you think that was a bit much?"

Mighty rolls his eyes and crosses his arms. Slumping against the back cushions, he mockingly says, "But _of course_ it was. Violence is always wrong. I should have used my words to solve the problem."

Sonic frowns and lifts a brow. "Why would it have been so wrong for you to your words instead of your fists?"

Mighty snorts. "Oh, I don't know, maybe because he _stole_ my money."

"It was a dollar."

Sitting upright, Mighty snarls, "It was _my _money."

Sonic holds his hands up in defense. "You're right. You're right. It was your money." He lowers his hands, voice softening. "However, you know as well as I do that doing what you did to Bean's beak over a one dollar bill is inexcusable, or else you wouldn't be here."

Mighty stares down at his shoes, fists clenching. "I know, but I just don't like it when people take my stuff."

Sonic nods. "But it's not just that, Mighty. You get a thrill out of beating others up. It makes you feel in control. And when you think about it, isn't that why you beat Bean up? Not because you were angry that he took your dollar, but because you wanted to gain control of the situation."

Mighty shrugs. "Maybe."

"Just maybe? Tell me, Mighty, what did you feel like when you discovered your dollar had been stolen by Bean?"

"I felt like I was on Carnival Island again." Mighty covers his face with his hands, almost as if trying to block out the memory. "I felt like I was in that Combi-Confiner again and Eggman's standing outside it eating _my_ cotton candy…and I can't do anything."

Sonic nods. "And so you try to overcome that feeling by taking control with your own hands, your fists. Now, tell me how you felt when I cancelled your appointment yesterday?"

Mighty's hands drop and he sighs. "Like I was on Carnival Island."

"And so you came here to take control back by beating me up, right?" Mighty nods. "But you didn't beat me up, did you?" Mighty shakes his head. "And why is that?"

Mighty's hands clench and unclench. "I…I don't know."

Sonic blinks. "You don't have any idea why?"

"No."

"Really?"

"Really."

Sonic glances at his watch and frowns. "Okay, then let's look into that during our next session."

Mighty looks up at Sonic pleadingly. "Can't we talk for another half hour? Please?"

Sonic bites his lower lip, glancing at his watch again. "I'm sorry, Mighty, but no. If you go see Big, he'll schedule you for your next appointment."


	28. 28 Morning at the Office

**28: Morning at the Office**

Monday morning when Big reaches Sonic's practice, he is in a good mood. Unlocking the front door and stepping inside, Big softly sings, "Monday mornin', so good to me."

While singing, Big busies himself with his office morning routine. First Froggy is set on the floor. Next his duffel bag is dumped onto the desk chair and unzipped. Froggy's bed and a wide flat bowl are removed from the bag and placed onto the floor at the side of his desk. Then taking out a dust cloth and a plastic bottled filled with swamp water, Big tosses the dust cloth onto his desk; the bottle, he opens, pouring its contents into the bowl.

After putting away the empty bottle, the dust cloth is retrieved. He begins scrubbing down the arm of one of the waiting chairs, still singing, a broad grin on his face. He is happy with the lily pad carpeting that the Chaotix had installed Saturday. Also, while he and Sonic had moved the furniture back into the waiting area, he'd managed to convince Sonic to purchase a set of lily pad styled chairs to replace the dull ones the waiting room currently had—though Sonic had been evasive as to _when_ he would actually buy them. Still, that is something to look forward to, and it succeeds in making Big smile wider.

And there is yet another reason to smile. Thinking about this reason, Big heads into Sonic's office. "Monday mornin'," he sings.

Once done dusting in there, he opens Sonic's window to let in the fresh morning air. He checks to make sure the newly installed screen is still there. It is, and he nods in approval.

Finished in Sonic's office, he returns to the waiting room where the dust cloth is dumped into the duffel bag and then the duffel bag onto the floor. Chair now free, he slumps onto it and turns on the computer.

Sonic walks in—alone. Big can't help but chuckle. "Good morning," he says.

Sonic nods once and says, "Good morning." He starts for his office but suddenly stops. His eyes focus on the bowl near Big's desk. "Big," Sonic says, "correct me if I'm wrong, but this carpet is brand-new, right?"

"It is."

"Then why," he points to the bowl, "is that on the floor and," he cringes, "why does it smell so bad."

"It's swamp water for Froggy," Big explains.

Sonic's lips purse. He looks at Froggy and recalls the damage done to the practice two months ago because of the web-footed creature (it had taken hours to remove those foot prints from the ceiling). And if he hadn't caught Big, last month, once again trying to make Froggy feel more at home, they'd have a hole under Big's desk. Something must be done. Some thing has to go. "Big..." His voice fades as the large cat casts a loving gaze on Froggy. Sonic remembers that Froggy isn't a just a pet to Big but also a friend. A best friend. Sighing, he shakes his head and decides against voicing the perfect solution to the practice's continuing frog problem. "Um, if that water were to spill it could damage to the rug and wood, so dump it out back, okay?"

"Okay," Big concedes. He picks up the bowl and heads outside, slightly put out that Froggy won't have his swamp water. But after a quick look around while moving to the building's back, Big is smiling again. Tails really hasn't followed Sonic to work! He starts to sing. "Monday mornin', so good to me." He dumps the water and proceeds back inside. "Monday mornin', it was all I hoped it would be."

On the roof of the practice, Tails remains unnoticed. He watches Big disappear inside. Then softly, he continues Big's song, skipping ahead several verses. "Monday, Monday. Can't trust that day."


	29. 29 Deal

**29: Deal**

Tails spots them through his binoculars when they're half a mile away. They're advancing toward Sonic's practice. _They_ are the Chaotix. And for them to come to the practice can only mean one thing: someone has an appointment today.

Tails stands, knowing what he must do.

Vector must be the one with an appointment. Espio and Charmy, as Vector often says, are too young to receive emotional counseling and he is too old not to. However, everyone knows that Vector does not go to counseling for emotional reasons. He goes to make a sale. Tails is counting on today being no different.

He jumps off the roof and sends his two tails into a mad spin and flies toward the Chaotix. "Hi guys!" Landing in front of the group, he gives them his friendliest grin.

Charmy, sitting atop Vector's shoulders, responds with a loud, "Hiya!" Espio, cool as always, merely grunts his greeting. And Vector, with a Crocodile's grin, asks, "How's it going, Tails?"

"Really good," Tails says. "And now, since you're a crocodile of business, I'd like to cut the small talk and make you an offer."

Vector, having had profitable dealings with Tails in the past, takes Charmy off his shoulders and hands him to Espio. "You boys go on ahead. Me and Tails here got some business to talk about."

Espio shrugs. "Whatever." He starts off with Charmy.

Charmy waves and calls out to Vector, "Don be late."

"Now Charmy, ya know the right way ta say that is 'don't'," Vector corrects.

"Whatever," Charmy says, mimicking Espio.

Vector shakes his head. "Kids." He turns his attention to the kid standing in front of him. "So whad'ya want to talk to me about?"

"I want to be able to accompany you to your next few appointments as a friend and to wait for you in the waiting room."

Vector scratches the back of his head. "I dunno, Tails. The boys can be awful jealous about me."

Tails flashes his teeth, eyes narrowing in a devilish way that says, _you can't refuse my offer_. Verbally he says, "I'll convince Sonic to buy that filing cabinet you've been trying to sell him. He needs a new one but has been talking about getting one from Staples."

Vector's jaw drops. "What? Why would he do that? I've got a real nice one all ready for him and everything."

Tails holds out his hand. "So is it a deal?"

Vector frowns and looks slantwise. "I dunno…"

"I'll convince him to buy it at top price."

"Sold!" Vector grabs Tails hand and gives it three hearty pumps.

Tails pulls his hand free and massages his sore arm. Why does Vector always have to shake so hard? "Maybe I should start pumping iron," he mutters.

Either not hearing or ignoring Tails' comment, Vector asks, "But why d'ya need to accompany me as a friend? If you want to wait in the waiting room, can't you just do it? I mean, Sonic's runnin' the place."

"That's for me to know. Now let's go." Tails grabs Vector's hand and pulls forward; his pride is only slightly injured by his failure to pull Vector forward by even a centimeter. Yep, he thinks, I definitely need to pump some iron.

"Alright. Alright." Vector pulls his hand out of Tails'. "But I'm warnin' you. Those boys are awful jealous of me. So don't go holding my hand or nothin'."


	30. 30 Ours

**A/N - **This fanfic is now on hiatus and will be for two months. I'm going to take a break from fanfic writing because I don't have enough time to devote to myself to it right now. That's why I'm late updating and there's only one chapter. Sorry.

Also I want to give big thanks to everyone who has reviewed, especially to all of you who have become regular reviewers. I really appreciate your support. And I'm really sorry about taking such a long break. But if your still interested in SWS in two months, then be ready for some updates, cuz I will be back ;)

* * *

**30: Ours**

Espio sits in the waiting chair closest to the door. His arms lie crossed over his chest that rises and falls with each timely breath. His eyes are shut and brow is smooth. He looks peaceful. In fact, if not for the fact that his head is up, neck erect, Espio might look as though he is sleeping. But Big knows better. Espio is meditating.

A perfect contrast to Espio, Charmy runs about the room, chasing after Froggy. Eventually Froggy ceases his hopping at the room's center. Charmy lies on his stomach in front of the frog and opens a closed hand to reveal treats especially made by Big: cubed tadpoles. Froggy's tongue whips out and claims one of the cubes, evoking a giggle from Charmy. Big smiles, remembering being that young and his very first frog.

And then the door to the practice opens. The peaceful atmosphere is disturbed by the familiar loud clunking of Vector's feet, as well as the soft footfalls of a smaller pair of feet that is accompanied by the swishing of two furry tails.

What is that two-tailed monster doing here? Big bristles.

"Charmy, what're you lying on the floor for?" Vector's foot is poised above the young bee and would be pressing down on him had the crocodile not spotted Charmy just in time.

Charmy scoops Froggy into his arms and slumps into one of the chairs. "Froggy was hungry," Charmy explains. "I was feedin' him."

Vector looks to Big who nods. "Charmy fed Froggy all his cubed tadpoles."

Vector says, "Sounds…pleasant." Though the look on his face says otherwise. With a shrug, Vector passes by the waiting chairs and leans against the wall. He never sits in the waiting chairs. He doesn't fit in them.

Normally, Big is quick to apologize for the lack of sufficient seating followed by a promise that _soon_ there will be new chairs, but today he does not. How can he? Tails, blatantly disobeying Sonic's orders, has audaciously taken the seat between Charmy and Espio and is smiling sassily at Big.

Big glares. "Tails, Sonic told you you're not allowed to hang out here to wait for him."

Vector starts at this. "What?" He points a finger at Big. "Ya mean ta say that Sonic told his boy not ta hang out here? That's just wrong! I would never do that to my boys." He looks at Espio and Charmy. "Ain't that right?"

"Whatever," Espio and Charmy say in unison.

"That's right," Vector says, as though he's gotten the answer he was looking for. "Kids should be able to wait for you at the workplace."

With a glance to Charmy and Espio, Big silently adds, _Or work there_. Aloud he says, "Well, it was Sonic's decision."

"Sonic's decision or not," Tails says with emphasis on the _not_, "I have every right to be here."

Big is more than doubtful. "You do?"

"Yes. I'm here to wait for Vector. You might not have known this, but Vector is my _best_ friend. I'm like the third son he never had…or something like that."

Suddenly, Espio's eyes snap open. Perhaps frightened by the look that is in those eyes, or maybe by the look that has filled Charmy's, Froggy bounds onto the floor and leaps into his bed. Espio and Charmy turn their eerie gazes to Vector. "He's joking about being your best friend," Espio says, and no one is quite sure if this is a statement or a question.

Vector's tail twitches as it does when he is nervous. "Uh…Of—"

"Of course not," Tails says and shoots Vector a warning glance.

Charmy pouts and looks around Tails at Espio. "But I thought you said we got rid of all 'em."

Espio shrugs. "Everyone makes mistakes. But we'll soon remedy this one." He looks meaningfully at Tails who sits obliviously between them.

Vector, well aware of what Espio means, pushes himself from the wall and starts forward, "Now look—"

Sonic's office door swings open. "Sorry to keep you waiting, Vector," he says, interrupting the crocodile. "I'm ready to…" he stops at the sight of Tails. "Tails, what are you doing here?"

Tails points to Vector, who has stopped his menacing approach toward Espio. "I came to wait for Vector. I was going to hang out with him, Espio, and Charmy after he gets out, but if you have some time before your next appointment, I can hang out with you instead."

Confused, distracted, Sonic says, "Yes?"

"Great," Tails says. Then he shoos at Sonic and Vector to go inside. "Don't want to waste any time, do you?"

"No?" Sonic says, still very much confused. "Um, let's go," he says to Vector and heads into his office.

Vector, however, lingers in the waiting room. His eyes shift from Espio to Charmy, issuing a warning. "Now you both are to be on your best behavior. Understand?" His fists are tightly clenched, as though he is desperately trying to hold onto something. Control perhaps? Of Espio and Charmy? Futile and foolish, if is so.

"We're always angels," Espio chirps. Espio never chirps.

Vector, hands relaxing, slumps his shoulders and shakes his head. "I warned ya," he says to Tails. He then heads into Sonic's office, not wanting to think of how both Espio and Charmy plan to educate Tails on the Chaotix's version of an old adage: _what's ours is ours_.


	31. 31 One Mississippi, Two Mississippi

**31: One Mississippi, Two Mississippi  
**

Tails is staring happily at Sonic's office door, oblivious to the world around him. So far plan A for getting back into the office has gone well. He can barely wait for Vector's session to end.

Big is glaring at Tails, upset that his plan to rid the office of the tiny terror has failed. He is typing up a new compliant, which he hopes will serve the plan as a quick fix.

Charmy and Espio are looking across Tails at each other. Charmy nods after Espio has tapped his nose and winked both his eyes. It's agreed; they will initiate plan 10C.

"Waaaaaaa," Charmy suddenly cries out.

Startled, Big almost falls out of his chair. Tails all but jumps out of his. "What happened," they both ask.

Espio shrugs. "Seems Charmy's lost his marbles."

"I losted all of 'em," Charmy agrees.

Tails sighs and slouches back in his seat. "Is that all? Big loses his all the time."

The large cat shoots Tails a wary look, unsure if the fox cub is being obnoxious or honest since Big loses his bag of marbles weekly. Settling on ignoring Tails, Big smiles sympathetically at the sobbing bee and says, "If you want, you can color in my coloring book."

Like someone flipping a light switch, Charmy's face shifts from gloom to glee. "Really?" Suddenly, the sharp sound of a shuriken fills the air, restoring the distressful look to Charmy's face. "I mean, don wanna!" He covers his face and boohoos. "I want my marbles. Dey were my favorite." All at once, his fake sobbing stops and he looks sweetly up at Tails. "Will you help me look for 'em."

Tails frowns. He has no intention of leaving his seat, having already decided on looking especially adorable when Sonic walks out. _I missed you _so_ much_, he'll tell Sonic. And then Sonic—overcome by the cuteness and emotion cards that Tails will have so artfully played—won't have a choice but to yield to his request to wait at the practice for the rest of the day; though if Sonic refuses, Tails can always go on to plan B. "Gee, I'm sorry, Charmy. But I want to be here when Vector gets out."

A cold expression flashes across the young bee's face before quickly being replaced with a teary one. Big, too busy glaring at Tails to have noticed the icy look, stands. "I'll help you, Charmy," he says.

"No," Charmy yells. "I want Tails to! I want Tails to!"

Tails covers his ears, determined to wait for Vector's session to end. But Charmy just shouts louder. Overpowered, Tails winces and says, "Fine! I'll help you." Charmy stops his yelling and Tails drops his hands. "But," the fox cub says, wagging a finger, "if we haven't found your marbles in twenty minutes, we come back with nothing."

Charmy smiles and jumps into the air. "Yay!" He flies to the entrance door and pulls it open. "Les go! Les go!"

Standing, Tails pauses to look at Espio. "Hey, aren't _you_ responsible for him while Vector's busy? You should be the one helping him look, not me."

"Kid didn't ask me," Espio says. Then crossing his arms, he shuts his eyes, seemingly ignoring Tails. In truth, he is paying close attention to the fox cub; listening as his feet stomp across the floor and out the opened door; listening still as the door swings shut.

Then he begins counting silently (_one disappearance, two disappearances, three disappearances_), and will continue until five minutes have passed. Then he will get up and leave after instructing Big to tell Vector that he can go home alone.

_Four disappearances. Five disappearances._

Big, unaware of the sinister plot that has been laid out for his hated nemises, says to Espio, "Tails shouldn't be helping Charmy. He might take Charmy's marbles and use them against him."

Still counting in his head, Espio says, "You should worry more about Tails." _Fifteen disappearances._

Big's brow scrunches up. "Why should I worry about _him_."

_Nineteen disappearances_. "Because." _Twenty disappearances_. "Charmy never had any marbles to lose."

* * *

**A/N** — I'd like to give a humongo thanks to every who reviewed during my hiatus. And sorry about the hiatus being longer than anticipated, but you know how life is. Anyways, I've got to get back into my "groove" for writing SWS so that means only one update a week.


	32. 32 Avoidance

**32: Avoidance**

When Vector's session has ended, Sonic follows him to the waiting room. Big is the only one there. While this makes Sonic curious, Vector grows concerned. "Where are the kids," the crocodile asks.

Big, almost done proofing his ten page complaint, does not look up. "They all left to go look for Charmy's marbles."

"Tails too?" Sonic asks.

Big frowns and nods. Then remembering what Espio told him before leaving, he glances at Vector and says, "Oh, Espio said to go home without them."

If Vector had lips, he would be worrying the bottom one right now. "Charmy don't got no marbles," he mutters. And for a moment he stands with a lost countenance and arms hanging limply. He glances furtively at Sonic who is talking to Big. After awhile he opens his snout and then promptly shuts it, recalling a moral he's instilled in his two young charges: _sometimes it's best to get while the getting's good_.

"Well, uh," Vector says, sidling toward the exit, "I'll be going now. And, ah, Sonic, remember that kids'll be kids." Sonic gives an absent wave and Vector makes a hasty getaway.

"There's something I want you to read," Big says and starts to print that something out.

This troubles Sonic, and not because the printer sit atop the fridge (he stopped worrying about that ages ago when he realized the only way to solve the problem of where to put the printer would be to buy Big a larger desk). He is disconcerted by _what_ is being printed. The only times Big has ever printed anything were the times Froggy ranaway and the complaint from a few days ago.

Froggy lies slumbering in the bed by the cat's desk, so that can only mean…

Big stands to retrieve the papers, making Sonic cringe. But just as quickly as he stood, Big sits back down; Sonic sighs. The door to the practice has opened, and it is company policy to always be at the desk when a potential patient enters. "Hello, Shadow," Big says. "Would you like to make an appointment?"

Sonic turns and nearly stumbles back. Shadow's eyes are locked on him with deadly intensity. "I need to see the doctor, _now_," is all Shadow says before gliding into Sonic's office.

Big starts to protest, but Sonic holds up his hand. "No, it's okay. I've got about fifty minutes before my next appointment."

"But I was going to give you something to read," Big says, looking distressed.

Sonic smiles a false apology and moves for his office. "I'm sorry, Big. But it'll just have to wait. The patient comes first after all."


	33. 33 Interruption

A/N - Ack! I hate not updating on time. Sorry. But here are two chapters I whipped up for the last two weeks I missed, and then next week I'll post another two.

Hope you enjoy these chapters and thanks so much to all you wonderful reviewers!

**

* * *

33: Interruption  
**

Sonic walks into his office but does not make it to his desk, because Shadow grabs him by the throat and kicks the door shut. Then Shadow speaks; his words are slow and deliberate. "What did you tell her?"

Sonic, held an inch from the floor, is not affected by Shadow's grip on his neck; Amy's holds are much tighter. "Tell who," he asks easily.

"Amy."

Sonic blinks several times before saying, "I don't know what you're talking about. And can you please put me down, because this isn't intimidating, it's just sad." Shadow growls and tries to throw Sonic to the floor, but Sonic, quick as ever, reacts fast and comes out standing. He dusts off his neck and, with a sidelong look at his rival, asks, "Amy beat you up again, didn't she?"

Shadow rushes at him.

Concerned for the safety of his office, Sonic tackles Shadow and they both tumble to the floor. Sonic lands on top and holds Shadow pinned beneath. "Calm down and tell me what this is about," Sonic commands.

"Fine! Just get off. This feels like fan service or something."

Sonic leaps to his feet. "Eww!"

"My thoughts exactly." Standing, Shadow points an accusing finger at Sonic. "Amy told me all about her session with the good _doctor_." His hand drops to his side and clenches into a painfully tight fist. "You told her to…and so she…You're a monster!"

Sonic frowns. "I don't know what Amy told you, but she canceled her last appointment with me. So this good doctor you're talking about isn't me."

Shadow quivers, head bowed, arms rigid. "Then who told her to…to…"

"Look, why don't you sit down, and we'll try to figure this out together." Sonic motions toward the couch. Shadow sighs and nods. When Shadow has sat down, Sonic, leaning against his desk, says, "I'll need you to start from the beginning and not leave anything out."

Shadow tenses but nods. "It was, it was about an hour ago when she did it. I was at Maria's gravestone—"

"The one you spray painted on the school?"

"No, they painted over that one. I was at the one I built in the park."

"I thought they took that down."

"They did, but I put up another one last week. Anyway, so I'm at the gravestone talking to Maria when I hear someone coming up behind me. So I turn and…there's Amy." Shadow shuts his eyes and turns his face away, as though Amy is standing in front him. His shoulders heave violently as he takes in rapid breaths. In a strangled voice he says, "Sonic she…she was—"

The door to the office opens and Tails comes stumbling in, singing loudly and off key. "And that's when I knew I was in love!"

Knuckles, looking uneasy, strolls in after Tails. He looks at Sonic, opens his mouth, and then sees Shadow. He raises a brow. "What are you doing here?"

Shadow jumps to his feet. "I was just…I…I gotta go." Shadow bolts from the room before Sonic can stop him.

Sonic starts to follow after Shadow, but Tails' wobbly stance and loud singing stops him. He looks from his protégé to Knuckles. "What's going on here?"

Tails waltzes over to Sonic and tries to pull him into a dance. "Her eyes glowed like the fireflies, as she whispered softly to me—"

"Tails! What the heck." Sonic struggles to disengage himself from fox. He manages to when Tails loses balance and falls backwards. Unaffected, the fox continues singing on the floor. Sonic looks expectantly at Knuckles.

The echidna shrugs. "I don't know what happened to him. I just found him singing in a gutter downtown with a bag of powdered doughnuts from _Tasty Stuff_."

Sonic freezes. "He was eating powdered doughnuts from _Tasty Stuff_?"

"Well, there was only one left, and he ate it on his way over here. Swore he would kill me if I tried to take it from him."

Sonic nods and looks down at the crooning fox. "Thank you for bringing him here, Knuckles."

Knuckles nods. "No problem. But, well, I know it's not my place to say this, but I don't think you should be letting him wander around downtown like that. Anyway, I've got to go." Knuckles closes the door behind him.

Sonic kneels next to Tails, lips pursed and brow furrowed.

Tails smiles dreamily up at him and stops singing to say, "Do you think Knuckles and Metal Sonic are friends?"

Sonic sighs. "No, little buddy, I don't think they are."

Tails giggles. "But they have to be. They were together today, so they have to be."

Sonic sighs once more, and then helps Tails sit up. "Come on. I need to get you to a restroom before you start throwing up."


	34. 34 Absurd

**34: Absurd  
**

Mighty has canceled his appointment for today, going against the twenty-four hour cancellation policy that Sonic has made. Sonic does not care.

Tails lies on the couch in the office, a damp towel laid across his forehead. He has a headache and his stomach hurts. His stomach, however, is empty since he disgorged all its contents into the toilet at the park's restroom.

Eyes closed, Tails breaths steadily. He is prepared for what is coming.

"Tails," Sonic says in a level tone, "did I or did I not tell you never to eat powdered doughnuts from _Tasty Stuff?_"

Voice weak, Tails answers. "You said not to."

"And why is that?"

"Because I get a sugar high and because the last time I got a sugar high I tried to fly without using my tails."

Voice still level, Sonic asks, "Then why did you disobey me?"

"It wasn't my fault," Tails squeaks. "Espio and Charmy made me."

The tiniest bit of anger breaks into Sonic's voice. "Made you? And how exactly did they make you eat those doughnuts, Tails? Did they stuff them down your throat?"

Tails nods. "And then they threw me into a gutter."

Body tensing, eyes narrowing, Sonic's voice regains its calmness—a frightening calmness. "They did what?"

"Me and Charmy were looking for his marbles in a dumpster when Espio showed up with a bag from _Tasty Stuff_. He asked me if I wanted some, but I told him no; even though I really did, cuz I could smell that powdery aroma and almost taste the freshly baked dough." Tails' mouth begins to water. "And then Espio pulled a doughnut out and asked if I was really sure that I didn't want one." Tails looks over at Sonic who sits abnormally still behind his desk. "It was hard, but I said no."

"And then?"

"And then he handed the doughnut to Charmy, held me down, and told Charmy to stuff it into my mouth." Tails shuts his eyes and starts breathing heavily. "I couldn't help myself, Sonic. I started chewing. And the next thing I knew, I was holding the bag and eating one doughnut after the other. And while I was, Espio and Charmy were taking me somewhere. The last thing I remember was them pushing me into the gutter and saying, 'See if Sonic let's you play with Vector now.'"

Sonic shuts his eyes. Seconds pass. Then minutes. His eyes open and he says, "This doesn't make any sense."

"But it's true," Tails cries, sitting up. He winces as the towel falls from his head.

Sonic stands. "Lie back down. I'm going to have Big call Vector."


	35. 35 Guilty

**35: Guilty**

Tails sits at Sonic's desk, wrapped in a warm blanket and sipping a mug of warm tea. His arms shake occasionally and his eyes have a glossy look to them. But his mouth, forming a frown, ever so often slips into a smile.

Charmy and Espio sit on the office's couch. They sit at the center, only half an inch apart, and watch as their guardian argues with Sonic. Their faces flat as they silently await a verdict.

Sonic is angry; his narrowed eyes, loud voice, and constant accusatory jabs of his finger in the direction of Espio and Charmy say so. "Everyone knows about Tails' addiction," he shouts.

Vector crosses his arms. His tail goes _thump thump_ as it rises and falls loudly to the floor. "They were just being kids," he asserts.

"Kids don't stuff doughnuts down another kid's throat!"

Vector shakes his head. "Kids do a lot more than that if you'd ever read the news."

Sonic's fists clench. He leans forward, tightening the already constricting one foot distance between him and Vector. His head is craned back so he can glare the crocodile in the eye; though this is a hard task, considering Vectors large snout. "So you're condoning they're actions?"

Vector tilts his head forward, thus lowering his snout so he can look Sonic directly in the eyes. "No. I'm just sayin' it ain't that bad, is all. They just made 'em eat doughnuts."

"And then tossed him in a gutter!"

Vector's head snaps to the left, snout narrowly missing Sonic's head. "You did what," he demands of his young charges.

"He deserved it," Espio and Charmy say together.

Vector closes his eyes and shakes his head. "You two are in so much trouble."

Perhaps because it seems justice will be dealt, Sonic relaxes. His voice returns to its normal tone. "There's just one thing I don't understand," he says. "Why did they do it?"

Vector heaves a huge sigh and glances and Tails. "Cuz they're real jealous of me. They didn't much like the thought of Tails hanging out with me, ya know?"

Sonic smiles. "I understand completely." He chuckles. "You wouldn't believe how jealous Tails can get." Tails starts to protest, but Sonic waves him off. "I guess you're right, 'Kids will be kids.'"

Vector smiles back. "That's what I've been sayin'."

Sonic nods. "Yeah. Well, don't be too hard on them."

Vector frowns and shakes his head. "Throwin' someone into a gutter is crossin' the line." He looks back over at Charmy and Espio who now hang their heads, verdict served.


	36. 36 For the Best

A/N - Thanks to all yo wonderful reviewers!

* * *

**36: For the Best**

As the Chaotix exit his office, Sonic turns to Tails. His lips are pursed as he looks at the fox cub who gingerly sips his tea. "I think it'd be best if you waited for me in the waiting room while I'm at work," Sonic finally says.

Tails looks up at Sonic, over his mug, revealing no emotion. "If that's what you want."

Sonic frowns. "That's how it has to be. You cause or get into too much trouble on your own."

Tails puts his mug down and stands, blanket slipping to the floor. "Okay. And I'm feeling better now." He heads for the door. "You want me to send Big in, right?"

Baffled and slightly suspicious of the fox cub's speedy recovery, Sonic says, "Uh, yeah," Then, "Are you sure you're better?"

"Much better," Tails says before sidling out the door. He is smiling.

In the waiting room he finds Vector talking to Big. Espio and Charmy stand outside the large glass window, looking in. Tails waves at them. They glare at him.

"Sorry to interrupt," Tails says breaking into the cat and crocodile's conversation. "But Sonic says he needs to talk to Big. He says it's _really_ important."

Big glowers at Tails. "Excuse me," he says to Vector and then goes into Sonic's office, closing the door behind him.

Now alone, with only the eyes of a bee and chameleon on them, Vector faces Tails. "I warned ya," he says.

Tails gives a sidelong glance at the window. "You did," he replies. Then looking Vector straight in the eye, he says, "And things turned out better than I could have ever planned." He sticks his hand out. "Sonic will be calling you sometime tomorrow about that filing cabinet."

Vector blinks several times, then hesitantly takes Tails hand. "Um…Don't really know what this is about, but thanks."

Tails shakes his head. "No, thank _you_." And then releasing Vector's hand, he gives the crocodile a big hug, smiling smugly at Charmy and Espio all the while.

In Sonic's office Big sits—something one is always advised to do when hearing bad news—on the couch. After asking Big if he's comfortable, Sonic discloses the bad news. When he has, he stands rigid before his desk, awaiting Big's reaction. He hopes he will not have to find a new (as Sonic calls Big) desk person.

Big, seeming to want to torture Sonic, waits a full minute before responding. His face is blank. When he speaks his voice is clear. His answer is short and unexpected. "Well, I suppose it's for the best."


	37. 37 Payback

**37: Payback**

Big sits at his desk. He waits, his preparations already set. It took forever, but he managed to get Vanilla to agree to come to the appointment she canceled yesterday. He was unsuccessful with getting anyone else to come to an appointment today, but he was still satisfied in the end. One will be enough.

Sonic walks in, heading for his office like a breeze. He waves and responds to Big's, "Morning," with one of his own. Then he stops outside his office as Tails sits in the seat closest to the wall. "No Froggy today?" He asks with a quick look around.

Big nods. "Better that Froggy stay in the swamp today." With a glance at Tails, Sonic nods understandingly. But Big knows that Sonic does not understand. With a smile, he shoos the hedgehog into his office. When the door has closed behind Sonic, Big turns to Tails. Some things Froggy is not meant to see.

"So where does Amy usually sit," Tails asks as though there is no enmity between them.

Instead of answering, Big asks, "Would you like to listen to a song?"

Tails shrugs. "Sure. Now about Amy—" He falls silent and his eyes widen. A happy jingle, wrapped in sugary sweetness wraps around him. "Turn that off!"

Big, however, sings along. "What's that behind the counter, smelling all so sweet? What's that I can't look away from, looking all so yum? Why it's Tasty Stuff. Come 'n get some! "

Tails covers his ears and shakes his head. "I'm gonna tell Sonic on you," he threatens, mouth salivating.

"Go ahead," Big taunts, then starts singing as the song replays.

Not one for empty threats, Tails jumps to his feet and dashes across the floor, pushing Sonic's office door open. "Sonic! Sonic! Big's messing with me!"

Sonic's head rips left, right, then up. Coming out of his focus on Vanilla's file, he dumbly asks, "Who? What?"

"It's Big! He's messing with me." Tails rushes for Sonic and grabs his arm. He pulls him to the door. "He's playing Tasty Stuff's jingle and won't stop."

Sonic stumbles out the door after Tails…to find Big engaged on the phone. "Are you sure you won't need to reschedule you're appointment, Mighty?" Sonic looks down at Tails and frowns.

"But he _was_," Tails insists.

Sonic sighs. "Tails, this is exactly why you can't be left on your own anymore. Now I expect you to act more maturely while I'm at work, and to leave Big alone." He lowers his voice. "He's still upset about what you did to Froggy." Then turning, he walks back into his office and shuts the door behind him.

Tails glares up at Big. Big, setting the phone in its cradle, looks down and smiles.


	38. 38 Disconcert

**38: Disconcert  
**

Vanilla sits on the burgundy couch. She does not need tissues to dry sorrowful tears. She is neither slouched nor rigidly upright. She sits with one leg over the other, hands in lap, and back quiescently straight. She is the picture of a lady. She would be the picture of composure but there is a frown on her face. And though troubled, the frown holds a look of acceptance. "I'm not here for a session, Doctor. I'm here to say goodbye."

Pencil still in hand, Sonic's jaw drops. "Um…what?"

"I've started seeing another doctor: Doctor Hedgehog. He…" She sighs; perhaps out of melancholy; perhaps out of gratitude. "He's helped me accept things."

Sonic lays his pencil down. "What things?"

Vanilla shrugs. "Oh, things about Cream and me. I understand now that she'll never love me and always think of me as a horrible parent."

"Now wait minute, that's—"

Vanilla holds up her hand. "Please, no more lies, Doctor. I've accepted the truth. The cold, ugly truth." Her hand moves to cover her heart. "And I'm a better person for it." Hand falling back to her lap she smiles. "I've started collecting. Doctor Hedgehog suggested that I do so to fill the emptiness that Cream's rejection created. And it does help some. Only now, Cream's started collecting the same thing as me…to outdo me I suppose. But I won't lose Doctor. No. I'm better than that snot-nosed daughter of mine. Oh. That reminds me. Cream has also started seeing Doctor Hedgehog and so will no longer be coming here."

Sonic does not understand. "I don't understand." He is confused. "I'm confused. How, how did you meet this doctor."

"Well that daughter stealer—I mean—Amy suggested to Cream and me that we try seeing him. It's the one right thing Amy's ever done for Cream and me." Vanilla stands. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I really must get back to my collecting." She crosses the room and opens the door. Loud shouting greets her and she covers her mouth at what she sees. "Oh my." She turns. "Um, doctor, I think you really should deal with what is happening in your waiting room." And then she is gone, the door to the office left open.

Sonic is too stunned to move.

"Give me that Tasty Stuff!"

Tails' scream moves Sonic to action. He sprints for the open door and lets out an incredulous sound. He watches in disbelief as Tails is thrown across the room, only to launch himself back at Big who is getting off the floor, clutching a bag with the distinct label _Tasty Stuff_ across its front. "You monster," Big cries as Tails bites down on the cat's arm.

"Gib me da dougduts," Tails growls, teeth not loosening their hold.

Sonic has had enough. "Tails, let go of his arm," he commands. Tails' eyes widen and he gives Sonic a sidelong glance, but his mouth does not open. Sonic crosses his arms and taps his foot. "I'm waiting."

Eventually, Tails opens his mouth and withdraws from Big, head bent, shoulders slouched. "He started it," he whispers.

Sonic looks at Big, then the bag clutched to his chest. "Why is that here?"

"I got a coupon in the mail."

Sonic nods, recalling that he also received a coupon from Tasty Stuff for a bag of free doughnuts. He recalls throwing that coupon in the trash. He also recalls never telling Big to refrain from bringing Tasty Stuff to the practice. He must fix that.

"Tails, go wait outside." Tails slinks outside. "Big, I need to talk to you." Big nods and lowers his bag. "Now that Tails will be coming here, I think it would be best if you didn't bring food from Tasty Stuff to work anymore." Big nods. Sonic thinks how easy that was. "Okay. Good. And since there are no more appointments today, Tails and I will head home. Make sure to lock up behind yourself." He stops at the door. "Oh, and how many appointments do I have for tomorrow?"

"One."

Brow furrowed, Sonic says, "Strange." He leaves without another word.

Big watches as Sonic and Tails walk by the large glass window and heaves a heavy sigh. He knows he cannot continue to torture Tails. He also knows he cannot stand the sight of the fox cub.

With heavy steps he makes his way to his desk and slumps into his chair. Resting elbows on the desktop, he covers his face with his hands. He stays like this for a very long time.


	39. 39 Doctor Hedgehog

**39:Doctor Hedgehog  
**

Tails sits in the chair closest to the wall and watches Big. He is certain that the large cat has some fiendish scheme devised for the day. He is certain that gloomy look on the cat's face is all part of that scheme. And after Eggman has walked in and been checked in by Big, he is certain that the cat's abrupt departure is all part of the plan. But Tails is ready for whatever Big dishes out. For he has a plan of his own.

Meanwhile, Eggman takes his seat on the burgundy leather couch and smiles at the doctor. "It's a very good day."

Eggman's file lays open on Sonic's desk. Next to it rests a clipboard for today's session. However, Sonic has no intention of writing anything on it. Sonic has begun to question the point of these sessions. "What makes it a good day, Eggman?"

Instead of answering, Eggman asks, "Why aren't you wearing your glasses today, Doctor? Did you get contacts?"

"I don't need them anymore," comes the offhanded answer. "So what makes today so good?"

"Oh, well," Eggman rubs his hands together, "I think he's finally made some friends." His hand fall to his lap and his smile widens. "And to think I'd been worrying that my trying to take over the world was making him feel left out."

Interested, Sonic leans forward. "You spoke about _him_ during our last session. Who is _he_?"

Eggman laughs. "Oh, you know him. I sometimes wondered if he and Sonic might become friends, with them being so much alike." Face darkening and voice lowering, Eggman continues, "Though it wouldn't do for them to become friends. I'd have to end that friendship before it began." He suddenly laughs again and the light returns to his face. "But no worries about that. He has other friends now."

Still curious as to the identity of this unknown individual, Sonic decides to try another route. "So who are his friends?"

"Don't know."

Sonic blinks. "Then how do you know he and Sonic aren't friends?"

"Trust me, an Eggman knows these things."

"But you don't know who his friends are?"

Eggman shakes his head. "He's very private."

"So you've never seen these friends."

Eggman shakes his head. "He's very private."

"…Then how do you know he has friends?"

"Trust me, an Eggman knows these things."

Sonic blinks. Once. Twice. "And how does an Eggman know these things?"

"Well, for one, he hasn't been home in days."

"And that means he has friends how?"

"Well, he left me a note that said he'd be busy for a few days. And one can't be busy for days on end by oneself, right?"

Sonic blinks. Once. Twice. Thrice. "Aren't you busy for days on end by yourself when you plot to take over the world?"

Eggman laughs. He laughs again. "Of course not. I have my robots."

"Your robots?"

Eggman nods. "My robots."

Sonic frowns. "Is _he_ a robot?"

"Who?"

"This guy we've been talking about. This guy who suddenly got all these friends."

"I'm sorry, Doctor, but I can't divulge that information to you. As I've said, he's very private." Sonic stares at Eggman hard, trying to think of how to phrase his next question. But before Sonic can even think of what to say, Eggman starts speaking again. "Though you know, maybe he hasn't gotten a bunch of friends. Maybe he just got one. One very special friend, if you know what I mean." Eggman winks.

"I don't."

A look of exasperation overtakes the mad scientist's face. "Come now, Doctor. Surely you know how every young lad eventually develops feelings that go beyond friendship." He puts his finger to his chin. "And if I were to guess, I'd say it'd be Amy."

Sonic slams his hands onto his desk. "It absolutely, positively would _not_!"

"My, my. I had no idea you had such strong opinions about who he dated."

"What? Him?"

"Yes, who did you think I meant?"

"N-nobody."

"Ah, Mr. Nobody. He does the mischief that's to be done in everybody's house."

"What?"

"Not a man of literature, Doctor?"

"What?"

"Oh, nevermind." Eggman stands. "I really should be going."

Sonic stands. "Wait, but our session—"

"Must end early today. You see, I'm working on a big project right now. I'll call to schedule my next appointment."

Sonic crosses his arms. "Big project, huh? Are you sure it isn't that you're seeing _another_ doctor?"

"Excuse me?"

"I know about Doctor Hedgehog. Vanilla told me all about him."

"Doctor, I have no idea what you're talking about."

Sonic looks at Eggman's, and something about his beady dark glasses makes Sonic believe him. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have accused you." And yet, there is a feeling of disquiet in the pit of Sonic's stomach, a feeling which eggs him to keep Eggman from leaving. "If I could ask just one more question before you go."

"If it's just one question, I don't see why not."

"This guy with the friends or girlfriend or whatever…what are his initials?"

"I'm sorry, Doctor, but he's very private. However, if you insist on knowing more about him, you really should talk to Sonic." Eggman turns. "And now, I really must be going." He closes the door behind him.

Sonic returns to his seat. Slumped back in it, he ponders the anxiety that this unknown person has brought on. He questions why he, Sonic the Hedgehog, should know him but does not. And then as his thoughts drift to other subjects, as they tend to do, he finds himself thinking of Knuckles, who has not come to see the doctor in weeks. He thinks of the last time he saw Knuckles, of how Knuckles had been waiting at that restaurant for—

"It's _him_!" Sonic jumps to his feet and is in the waiting room in a second. He instantly notices Big's absence and turns eyes on Tails. "Where's Big?"

Tails shrugs. "He went out. He's probably doing number 2 in the park bathroom."

Sonic makes a face but quickly shrugs it off. "Come on, we've got to go."

Tails doesn't move. "But what about my pl—I mean Big."

Sonic waves this off. "I only had one appointment today. Big'll know I've left early and lock the place up. But we've got to go check on Knuckles, _now_." Without waiting for Tails' agreement, Sonic grabs his hand and rushes out the door.

Moments later, Big returns. He sits at his desk and puts his head in his hands. He has spent all morning sitting on the side of the practice, wondering if he should do it. He doesn't want to, but he feels there is no other choice.

The door opens and Big looks up. He is shocked by who he sees.

"Hello, Big. I'm Doctor Hedgehog. How would you like to work for me?"


End file.
